LIVERPOOL, England — Through a haze of red smoke, a generation of Liverpool dreams were realized.
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 postmatch 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 prematch 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.
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.
Under Arne Slot, Liverpool have not been flawless, but they 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.
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Hislop: Arne Slot made this Liverpool team his own
Shaka Hislop praises Arne Slot’s impact as Liverpool manager.
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.
Perhaps the moment of the afternoon, though, came when Slot was asked during a postmatch 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.
