Liverpool lost at White Hart Lane on 25 April 1973 and still reached the UEFA Cup final. Steve Heighway's second-half goal proved decisive in a semi-final which finished level on aggregate, ending Tottenham Hotspur's defence of the trophy.
Alec Lindsay had given Liverpool a 1–0 advantage at Anfield. That lead remained intact through a goalless first half in London, with Bill Shankly's side approaching the final three-quarters of an hour still ahead in the tie.
The match then changed quickly. Martin Peters scored in the forty-ninth minute to put Spurs in front on the night and level the aggregate score. Liverpool's response came six minutes later: Kevin Keegan supplied Heighway, whose finish restored the visitors' overall advantage.
It did more than make the second leg 1–1. Liverpool now had an away goal, something Tottenham had failed to secure at Anfield. To reach the final, the home side needed two further goals without reply. One would only bring the aggregate score level while leaving Liverpool ahead under the competition's tie-breaking rule.
Peters supplied that first goal in the seventy-second minute. Tottenham led 2–1, but the position in the tie had not passed back to them. Another goal was still required, and Liverpool had eighteen minutes plus stoppage time to protect their place in the final.
They did so. There was no third Tottenham goal, no extra time and no need for another Liverpool reply. The 46,919 spectators had watched Spurs win the match, but Heighway's strike separated the sides after 180 minutes.
The evening came only two days after Liverpool's league victory over Leeds. It kept a European trophy within reach alongside the championship they would formally secure against Leicester three days later.
Borussia Mönchengladbach awaited in the final. Liverpool had removed the holders by the narrowest available margin, with their one goal away from Anfield carrying the greater weight.