James Milner admitted just how much Liverpool have missed playing in front of fans as the Reds celebrated their 3-0 win on Saturday.
Jurgen Klopp’s side got off to a perfect start against Norwich, with Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah grabbing their first goals of the season, as a capacity crowd returned to Carrow Road.
More than 2,600 Liverpool fans made the trip to East Anglia, with the travelling Kop in full-voice throughout the 90 minutes, as they welcomed in the new season.
Speaking to the club website after the game, Milner sang the fans’ praises and admitted he is already looking forward to the Reds’ first home game against Burnley on Saturday.
He said: “Having our fans here today singing all the way through and seeing them at the end, amazing to have them back and obviously it will be special next week at Anfield as well.
“We’ve missed them and hopefully we can keep putting in performances and getting results like today for them.”
The Reds vice-captain explained the difference between playing in empty stadiums and sold-out crowds, with fans having not been able to attend games for almost 18 months.
“I remember the first few times I stepped out when there was nobody there and coming out of the tunnel it was the first time it really hit you because normally when you step out of the tunnel you either get the roar or booed or something.
“Anything would have done, but it was just quiet and that’s what really hit you", Milner said.
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Anfield has already welcomed back a large section of fans this summer, with the club’s friendlies against Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna limited to 40,000. This followed a smaller 10,000-strong crowd against Crystal Palace on the final day of last season
However, Liverpool haven’t played in front of a capacity home crowd since their Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid in March 2020, with the last league game coming against Bournemouth earlier that month.
“You’ll Never Walk Alone” and many other crowd favourites are sure to be ringing in the players’ ears for days to come, as Reds fans make their return to Anfield this weekend.
