Jurgen Klopp knew all about the years of hurt endured by passionate Liverpool fans who hadn’t seen their team lift the Premier League trophy when he came into the club. Now, 30 years of hurt are behind the delirious Kop fans after they finally saw their idols lift the silverware as they were crowned the champions at Anfield last night.
Alas the supporters were not in the famous old stadium to witness the emotional ceremony that followed their 5-3 win over Chelsea in their penultimate game of the season. Because of the ongoing measures in place amid the recent Covid-19 pandemic, all grounds have remained empty as the season was played out with no fans present. This was particularly hard on Liverpool followers after their years of waiting, but they were glued to their TV sets to watch proceedings and many fans congregated outside of Anfield to try to celebrate as best they could.
The Reds were determined not to have their party spoiled by the Blues and raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Naby Keita on 23 minutes, Trent Alexander-Arnold on 38 minutes and Georginio Wijnaldum five minutes later before Olivier Giroud clawed a goal back for the visitors to make it 3-1 going into the half-time interval. Further goals from Roberto Firmino on 54 minutes and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with six minutes of the game remaining sealed the 5-3 victory with Frank Lampard’s side grabbing a couple in between from Tammy Abraham and Christian Pulisic.
But the night was all about the red half of Merseyside and this was perfectly illustrated when Reds captain Jordan Henderson lifted the Premier League silverware from Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish. And Hendo, an inspirational figure during this testing but successful campaign but who was out of the game with a knee injury, said:
“We’ve been waiting a long time. Walking up there was amazing, the lads deserved the moment and thankfully the families were watching. To crown it off like that was really special.”
Klopp and his staff belted out the club’s famous anthem,
“You’ll Never Walk Alone”
on the hallowed grass after lifting the glinting pot and when quizzed on whether or not he had a message for the supporters, Klopp insisted:
“If you don’t see that we do it for you, I can’t help you. You made us happy, we all should celebrate at home. Prepare for a party and when this virus has gone we will have a party.”
Liverpool will conclude their triumphant season on Sunday when they travel to Newcastle United for their final league fixture of a superb season. Klopp will be plotting for the new campaign ahead as soon as the final whistle goes, no doubt.
