No.20 for champions Liverpool

As the eleven men in red melted into the green turf, grins and happy tears on their tired faces, they were at long last not alone. For when Liverpool FC had last won the Premier League, or were rather on the verge of claiming a title that was long assured in the 2019-20 season, a global pandemic ensured that they became champions behind closed doors, in an empty stadium. This time, as one of the most beloved football clubs in the world secured their 20th and record-equalling league title, things were very different. Anfield, their home ground, brimming to capacity, erupted with the eleven on the field, as did seemingly all of the city of Liverpool.

Needing just a draw (or 1 point) against the visitors Tottenham Hotspur to become the champions of England for the second time in five years, and first in front of their adoring fans in 35 years, both the team and the fans arrived in anticipation of a coronation. So much so that as the team bus pulled into the stadium’s gates, the streets surrounding the ground were barely visible for the broadcast’s drone cameras, thanks to thick blankets of red smoke spat out by flares. Arne Slot, Liverpool’s manager, exited first, ready to win the toughest league in the world in his very first season, even as Mohammed Salah, the club’s prolific goalscorer, rounded up the back.

They were treated to a stirring rendition of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, the club’s emotional anthem at the start. But Ange Postecoglou, Tottenham’s manager and a childhood Liverpool fan, had other plans, at least initially. In the 12th minute, Dominic Solanke, a former Liverpool player himself, put Spurs ahead with an accurate header, silencing the Kop in front of him. But the great red stand found its collective voice just four minutes later as Luis Diaz rustled the net at the far end. That would’ve been enough, but this astounding Liverpool side, at the fag end of a truly remarkable season, wanted more. So, Alexis Mac Allister bashed another in eight minutes later and a third goal by Cody Gakpo ensured that the party had well and truly sparked off by the half-time break.

On the other side of it, Salah’s finish in front of the Kop was the icing on not just a fabulous day, but year. Since early November, which is roughly six months ago, Liverpool have led the title race without once being shifted from their perch. And all of this was orchestrated by a soft-spoken Dutchman, who had the unenviable job of replacing Jurgen Klopp – Liverpool’s much-loved previous manager who ended their long, 30-year drought for a league title back in 2020. As a rule of thumb, new coaches tend to immediately hire players of their liking to mainly stamp their early authority. But Slot was quick to keep his ego aside and play with a squad wholly built by his German predecessor.

It would’ve gotten hairy at times given that Salah, captain Virgil Van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold – the three of them constituting the very backbone of this institution – were all on the final year of their existing contracts with the club, with no extension in sight for a long while. But Slot managed the backroom affairs with elan and it paid rich dividends on the field, with Liverpool beating defending champions and winners of the league for the last four years, Manchester City, home and away. Salah, of course, scored in both fixtures, the Egyptian currently having scored 28 goals this season. With four games to go, the Golden Boot winner for the season is well placed to breach the 30-goal mark for the second time in the Premier League, which is an astonishing feat given that only one man in the past, Alan Shearer, has done so on multiple occasions.

Salah also tops the list for most assists this season, making it easy to believe that Liverpool’s victory was a one-man show. But that’s far from the truth, with every player and staff member sharing the burden to allow for a near-flawless season of glorious football. And they all – staff and players – came together at the end to obediently line up in front of the chanting Kop. Arms around shoulders and hips in their custom-made jerseys with the words ‘Champions 24/25’ printed on all fronts, they sang ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ with 60,000 fans in the terraces and there wasn’t a dry eye in all of Anfield.

Arne SlotLiverpoolNews BriefPremier LeagueTottenham HotspurVirgil Van DijkWeb Exclusive