Cliff Notes – Liverpool waited 35 years to party as Premier League champs
- Liverpool’s 5-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur confirmed their Premier League title, crowning them as Premier League champs for the second time in 5 years
- The match was marked by emotional celebrations at Anfield, with fans and players alike rejoicing in a long-awaited triumph
- The game also produced an iconic celebration – the selfie that will travel the world
- Liverpool FC have now won record equalling 20 league titles
- They undoubtedly the most successful club in English Football
Liverpool waited 35 years to party as Premier League champs, and they earned it
LIVERPOOL FC are champions of England. Through a haze of red smoke, and an era where Jurgen turned doubters into believers, a generation of Liverpool dreams were realised with Arne Slot at the helm.
Before kickoff, fans came in the thousands, perching in trees and climbing on top of scaffolding to welcome the champions-elect to Anfield. Hours later, Liverpool’s coronation as Premier League champions was confirmed with a pulsating 5-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur.
At the full-time whistle, goalkeeper Alisson Becker sank to his knees in the penalty area. Trent Alexander-Arnold clambered onto Ibrahima Konaté’s back as the sky lit up with fireworks. This was a party more than three decades in the making.
When Alan Hansen lifted the First Division trophy back in May 1990, two years before the inception of the Premier League, nobody of a Liverpool persuasion could have foreseen the 30-year title drought that would ensue.
When manager Jurgen Klopp and his players clinched the club’s 19th title triumph in 2020, they ended what felt like a lifetime of hurt and marked Liverpool as a force on the rise. But the coronavirus pandemic ensured there could be no lavish celebrations, and the trophy was lifted in an empty stadium, on an empty Kop.
On Sunday, Anfield was, at the request of captain Virgil van Dijk, a sea of brilliant red, with the pre- and post match scenes sure to live long in the memory of the 60,000 supporters who were there. The party they had waited so long for had arrived.
It’s a triumph that will sting, too, for onlookers at Old Trafford, with Liverpool having now drawn level with Manchester United at 20 league titles.
In many ways, the game itself seemed like a sideshow. Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace in midweek meant only a point was required against Spurs to get Liverpool over the line, and perhaps the pre-match euphoria contributed to the frenzied, end-to-end opening of this clash.
Mohamed Salah came close to making himself the early hero when he curled an effort narrowly wide of the post inside two minutes. But, amid the blur of red balloons and the cries of “Hand it over Manchester” as Liverpool closed in on taking the title from last year’s winners, Manchester City, errors crept in.
In the 12th minute, Konaté booted the ball out of play for a needless corner and, only seconds later, Dominic Solanke was afforded the space to power home from James Maddison’s inch-perfect cross, handing Tottenham an unexpected lead in front of the Kop.
It was not the start that the scriptwriters had planned for, but rarely this season have Liverpool shown much regard for the script.
Liverpool have been relentless
In fact, from the moment the first ball was kicked against Ipswich Town at Portman Road back in August, Liverpool have shown little intention of fulfilling the prophecy they were forecast in the days and weeks after legendary manager Klopp hung up his baseball cap last summer.
Liverpool have not been flawless, but under Arne Slot, Liverpool have been relentless. They have shown a willingness to dig in and grind out results and the ability to — when needed — apply a sprinkling of stardust.
LIVERPOOL FC are champions
A team to cherish and a moment to remember for supporters who have waited for 35 years to enjoy an afternoon like this. Sir Alex Ferguson once spoke of knocking them off their perch and overhauling a then-record 18 titles. Liverpool are now back on top.
Certainly, after the early setback, Liverpool sparkled against Tottenham. It was Luis Díaz who drew the hosts level, sweeping home from close range after Dominik Szoboszlai’s low cross.
Eight minutes later, Liverpool were ahead — the industrious Alexis Mac Allister rifling an effort from range past Guglielmo Vicario to well and truly light the red touchpaper. By the time Cody Gakpo had made it 3-1 with a deft finish shortly after the half-hour mark, the celebrations were in full swing, with Slot’s name ringing around a raucous Anfield.
Liverpool’s dominance was underlined in the second half when Salah slotted home his 28th top-flight goal of the season to become the top-scoring foreign player in Premier League history, surpassing the previous record set by former Man City striker Sergio Aguero.
A miserable afternoon for Tottenham was then compounded when Destiny Udogie diverted the ball into the back of his own net after 69 minutes. It was the icing on the cake for the Liverpool fans, who immediately launched into a fervent chorus of “Champions, champions!”
And, when referee Thomas Bramall declared the contest finally over, the celebrations could begin in earnest. Red flares appeared in the crowd as the first strains of Dua Lipa’s “One Kiss” echoed around the stadium.
For almost an hour, Slot and his players stayed on the pitch to soak up the ovation and, when they stood, arm in arm, in front of the Kop to join in with a charged rendition of the club’s anthem, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” it felt like 35 years of repressed emotion was unleashed.
What did the football pundits say
Hislop: Arne Slot made this Liverpool team his own, He praises ‘unbelievable Arne Slot’s impact’ as Liverpool manager.
Jamie Redknapp “If you were looking to describe this team, it’d be relentless. Even when they went 1-0 down they didn’t panic.”
Gary Neville – ‘The debate is over, Liverpool are the most successful club in English Football’.
What did the players say
Van Dijk: We deserve all of this
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk speaking after the match:
“It’s amazing. Today was a lot of emotions, throughout the whole week. We’ve got the job done and we’re deserved champions.
“This is the most beautiful club in the world. We deserve all of this. Let’s enjoy the next couple of weeks.
“I was desperate for these fans and the fans around the world.”
Salah: This is way better
Liverpool top scorer Mohamed Salah speaking to Sky Sports after the party had started:
“Incredible. To win the Premier League with the fans is something special. You saw it in every game.
“This is way better [than five years ago], 100 per cent. We have a different group now, a different manager so we’re able to show we can do it again and it’s special.”
The Managers message
Slot: We always believed
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot had a special message for the fans:
“It’s difficult to put into words. You can feel how important it was for the fans to be here.
“We always come back, we always find a way to win. I don’t think we could have lost today.
“Our main focus was to win this game, if you are a part of it you still feel the pressure of getting the points over the line.
“For the whole season we were on top of the league but you also know how hard the Premier League is. The belief for us to win it was here throughout the season.”
Perhaps the moment of the afternoon, though, came when Slot was asked during a post match interview on the pitch about the moment he was officially unveiled as Liverpool boss. It was on the final day of last season that Klopp urged supporters to join him in singing his successor’s name, paving the way for a seamless transition.
Almost a year on, it was Slot’s turn to pay tribute to the man who laid the foundations for Liverpool’s success, breaking into an impromptu chorus of “Jurgen Klopp!” Based on this season’s evidence, though, it is Slot’s name that looks set to be on supporters’ lips for years to come.
And he ended his interview with a rendition of “Jurgen Klopp na naa na na na”. A fitting tribute to a legend from a legend.
