Further reading
Updated
The final word goes to (who else?) Jürgen Norbert Klopp:
“I love the scouse soul. I love the way they love life in the city of Liverpool, I love the way they want to be different. They are different. I know a lot of scousers and they are really good people.
“I’ve had good parts in my career but not this good. It is difficult to get here and it is all about the boys’ commitment, desire and understanding of the club’s heart and soul. The consistency the boys have showed is exceptional. We will not stop.”
We’ll be wrapping up here shortly. Thanks to all of you for your emails. Stay safe out there, and enjoy your weekends. To play us out, here’s the Kop in full voice.
Even by the end of February it was a case of when, not if, Liverpool would win the title. But then came a first league defeat of the season at Watford, and a Champions League exit to Atlético Madrid.
By then, the coronavirus outbreak loomed large. Suddenly the biggest threat to the title was a null-and-void season. Eventually, Liverpool returned to a very different atmosphere at Anfield. Personally, I think that given the circumstances, this was among their best performances:
Here’s a poignant email from Steve Jenkins:
“I’m 57, born in Liverpool and enjoyed the halcyon years of the 70’s and 80’s. I was there in ‘77 for the epic St-Etienne win having bunked off school. On my honeymoon I witnessed the horror of Heysel. I remember washing the car when news of Hillsborough came through on the radio.
“Istanbul was a miracle, but miracles are not ten a penny. After several dalliances with bad managers and owners, somehow the club rediscovered its heart and in Jürgen Klopp found an honest, decent human being we can all relate to.
“And here we are: English, European and World champions. I may have a huge hangover tomorrow, but I’m a Red. I’ve lived through the good and the bad. And we’re back on our fucking perch.”
Updated
In February, West Ham rocked up at Anfield and took a 2-1 lead. Liverpool responded in trademark fashion, their relentless drive belying a 22-point gap at the top:
This was the moment Liverpool fans started to truly believe; one goal up against United, Mo Salah broke away to seal victory and the Kop went ballistic.
Here are the thoughts of Robbie Fowler, legendary Liverpool striker and now the head coach of Brisbane Roar:
“Last year we finished second with 97 points and we knew we were on the periphery of something great.” Fowler told Sky Sports. “Manchester City have a brilliant side and it shows how good Liverpool are to be so far ahead.
“The club has grown and this squad is capable of going on and doing this again, it really is. Fair play to Klopp, he could have had the pick of any club potentially, but he came in and said we can win the league in five years and rewrite our own history.”
Another memorable moment from Boxing Day, as Liverpool travelled to the King Power. If the win over City told us they would probably win the title, this told us they would probably win it by miles.
Back to the ‘best Premier League team ever’ debate. Rick Jones reckons Liverpool are right up there: “The Invincibles drew lots of games, and had a lot fewer points. I wouldn’t forget the Champions League as a sign of a team’s greatness either. This Liverpool team has devastated its opponents.”
In November, Manchester City came to Anfield. The visitors started well enough, but found themselves 2-0 down after 13 minutes. Liverpool never really looked back:
In the 2018-19 season, Liverpool kept on City’s heels with a number of last-gasp wins. Things were different this season, but the 2-1 win at Villa Park, from a goal down with three minutes to go, was a reminder of the team’s mental strength:
We’ll be here for the next hour or so, so let’s take a look at some highlights from this season, which began around two decades ago with a 4-1 win over Norwich.
“Biased Arsenal fan here,” writes
Gunnersauru
Emre Yertici. “I would rank Liverpool below the Invincibles, United in 1998-99 and 07-08, or Mourinho’s first Chelsea team. They’re a world-class team with fantastic players, but the financial gulf between the top six and the bottom of the league is bigger than ever.
“United won three leagues in a row between 2007 and 2009. Chelsea won back-to-back titles, which this Liverpool side haven’t done yet. As for my beloved Arsenal, they’re still the only team to go unbeaten in the modern era, which shows what a special team the Invincibles were.
“The current Liverpool team aren’t far off this level though; another title or Champions League and they would be up there. Pleased for them though, likeable squad and manager, brilliant all season and they’ve waited a long time. Enjoy, Liverpool fans.”
Updated
Want to know what Pep, Ole, Frank and - yes - Brendan think of Liverpool’s success? Find out for yourselves:
“As a 100% biased Liverpool fan, I would rank them equal to or above Man City 2017-2018,” writes Jeremy Rechtien. “The hope is that they build a squad that can go deeper into Cups and build a dynasty like United did in the 90s. That would make them the greatest Premier League team ever in my books.”
Liverpool fans! It’s the weekend, you’re a couple into your beverage of choice, and here comes Scott Murray with today’s Fiver. Life is sweet ...
Another question for you, readers: where does this Liverpool team rank among the great English league champions? They are very much in the Premier League-era conversation. But are they better than City in 2017-18, Arsenal’s Invincibles or United’s treble winners? Drop me a line with your thoughts.
This video is well worth a watch, as my colleague (and diehard Liverpool fan) Sachin Nakrani recounts his team’s progress in five years under Klopp:
Liverpool is a city that has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic and local government budget cuts, but today is a celebration - even for some Evertonians. Helen Pidd has been out to capture the mood:
Liverpool fans have been out and about around Anfield today, although thankfully in smaller, better distanced numbers than last night. One such fan was Jean Smith, who demonstrated a decent first touch in a kickabout with her grandson.
Klopp mentioned changing his team every year, and Liverpool fan Ben Sanders has some thoughts:
“We need several players. We’ve romped to the league, but our squad’s thin and our performance in the cups has been disappointing.
We badly need a creative attacking midfielder (no, not Coutinho). Firmino and Salah need competition, Origi isn’t good enough and the jury’s out on Minamino. Someone like Adama Traoré would be fantastic.
“I think we’ve got enough quality in our academy to cover our defence, especially if Neco Williams is able to fill in at left-back. Will we actually sign anyone? I expect at least one arrival, but I don’t expect a net spend of more than £20m.”
Afternoon, everyone. Here are some more choice quotes from Jurgen Klopp, taken at today’s press conference:
I am happy. Really happy. Relieved. Last night I was overwhelmed obviously, but it’s a very good moment in my life. It’s a mix of everything. I know it is a really big achievement, and it was an incredible ride to get here.
I called my family 10 seconds before the final whistle. We had a Facetime call. I told them I loved them, they told me they loved me. All the other messages, maybe I should use this opportunity to say sorry I cannot answer all of them, but I will read all of them.
You have to change each year, bring new things, that’s how it is. A season is really long, you need to be lucky in some moments, especially with injuries, so you can never be sure but I knew we would become a really good football team.
We have a lot of really good players, world-class players but other clubs do too. The consistency comes from buying into the idea: attitude, personality, character and that is what makes this group so special.
If we stay humble we have a good chance to be successful in the future as well.
That’s all from me. I’ll hand you over to Niall McVeigh, who is going to host the blog for the next couple of hours. You can email him here. Have a nice weekend, bye!
“Dear Rob et al,” says Jamie. “I revelled in the Paisley era. Dalglish, Rush, Hansen, Neal, Thompson, Case, Bruce, and my hero (really) McDermott... it was astounding year after year. Paisley’s record was incredible and the dominant swagger, wow, just wow (hat tip to Ferg for eclipsing Paisley’s leagues). I worshipped the team in that 79-85 time.
“But... this team... Klopp didn’t have to win to already be a hero, the way he conducts. There has never been a player as dominant as VVD, as cheeky as Mane, as cunning as TAA. There is just so much joy here. Of course we know these players do much more because of social media - but what better role models than Trent, Milner, Hendo, Mo, Sane, VVD and Klopp.
“They’ve only won it once. But the effect on me, awe, pride, is already surprisingly greater than it was for seven-year-old me.”
Liverpool have a week off before their trip to the Etihad, but there’s plenty of football this weekend. These are some of the big games:
FA Cup quarter-finals
- Norwich v Man Utd (Sat, 5.30pm)
- Sheff Utd v Arsenal (Sun, 1pm)
- Leicester v Chelsea (Sun, 4pm)
- Newcastle v Man City (Sun, 6.30pm)
Premier League
- Aston Villa v Wolves (Sat, 12.30pm)
- Watford v Southampton (Sun, 4.30pm)]
Championship
- Brentford v West Brom (Fri, 7.45pm)
- Leeds v Fulham (Sat, 3pm)
Comments aren’t open on this blog but you can join the debate below the line on Jonathan Wilson’s article. Based on some of the early comments, I wouldn’t bother.
A question for the panel (that’s you, yes you; ’mon, look lively)
Where does this team sit in the Liverpool pantheon? I’d probably still have Bob Paisley’s first team at the top, because they retained both the league and the European Cup, but I’d certainly put Liverpool 2017-19 alongside 1981-84 and 1987-88.
Here’s Jonathan Wilson on the tactics that enabled Liverpool to overcome Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
Tactical evolution can be understood as a series of interlocking dialectics: proactivity against reactivity, art against pragmatism, individuality against the team. The most relevant here is technique against physique.
Oh I say
Had enough of Liverpool celebrating their #PremierLeague Title?
— GAME Leeds White Rose (@GAMEwhiterose) June 26, 2020
Then why not come into store and Pre Order #Fifa21 and stop them doing it 2 years on the trot!
Out 06.10.20 pic.twitter.com/qDNqKmNdQZ
Updated
Last night hurt but full respect and congratulations to @LFC on winning the @premierleague title. It's a great feeling lifting that trophy and next year we will come back stronger and determined to win it back.
— Kyle Walker (@kylewalker2) June 26, 2020
In other news
“I moved to Manchester from Liverpool in the late 80s just as Liverpool FC were going off the boil,” writes Stuart Lea. “I’ve waited a long time for this and have taken a lot of stick. In sad times, a happy, happy day.”
The afternoon-after thoughts of Jurgen Klopp
The consistency the boys showed really is so exceptional that I cannot describe it and we will not stop. We really have to - and will - stay focused, we see the opportunity ... but that doesn’t mean we will win everything, we just want to improve.
The other teams, they are really good already and will be better, City is absolutely exceptional. So, I cannot promise we will win everything but I can promise we will try everything to improve.
The consistency is difficult to improve, if we can keep that level of consistency that would be already really nice. But we are in a good place, that is why we are here.”We knew, if you want to win the league it is pretty much not allowed to lose any game because City are usually not losing games. They never stop since Pep is there.
We didn’t do more, we did it again. I am not sure it was possible to do more, from a training and intensity point of view, we were already squeezing everything out.
The first thing we think about with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool is their exhilarating attacking play. But if you really want to tell the story of the Klopp years, you need to look at their defensive record.
Goals conceded in the Premier League
- 2015-16 50
- 2016-17 42
- 2017-18 38
- 2018-19 22
- 2019-20 21 (in 31 games)
My colleague Paul Doyle, who reads football better than anyone I have ever met, said in the summer of 2017 that if Liverpool signed van Dijk they would eventually win the league. Doyle knows.
“As a teen, I remember celebrating the Champions League final on a worn suede sofa at my mate’s house,” says Gregory Bott. “We all crowded round his old TV, and when the final whistle went, we shook up our beers and poured a bottle of lager over his Dad’s head, before running out into the streets, wild-eyed with glee. We didn’t know what to do with ourselves – we just wanted to be out and about, to feel the buzz, to meet strangers acting on the same impulse, scattering the dark with our sunbeam smiles...
“Nowadays, I live away from the tribe, away from the city, hundreds of miles down South. But that connection is still there – it is urging me to come home, twanging like some long, unplayed chord. Other than absorbing every bit of media around this that I can, I am struggling to know exactly how to commemorate this momentous day. Any suggestions?”
How close are you to Bournemouth beach?
Another plug for our quiz on Liverpool’s glorious campaign. I got 12/15 and I’m on about two hours’ sleep, so you should be aiming high.
The mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, has been talking about last night’s celebrations outside Anfield.
People believe, wrongly, that we’re over the worst of the pandemic. “In the euphoria... people have decided to ignore advice, but it’s gone, it’s happened. We’ll have to see whether there’s a spike in coronavirus as a result of this. But if Chelsea or Manchester City had won the league, we would have seen the same scenes outside Stamford Bridge or the Etihad. We are where we are.
It’s notable how little criticism there has been of the Liverpool fans who showed such contempt for social distancing with their celebrations last night. I’ll level with you: I can see both sides!
“I don’t expect any major signings, but I think left-footed cover for Andy Robertson would be a good idea, and possibly quietly thanking Dejan Lovren, so perhaps a replacement centre back if there is no one suitable coming through,” says Andrew Parker. “Having said that in the 70s/80s Liverpool often signed an up and coming player after winning the title to keep everyone on their toes.”
That’s true, although squads were much smaller then so the psychology of a new signing for a bit different. Ki-Jana Hoever is a brilliant young centre-back, though he’s only 18. But again, I think there’s just about enough depth there – Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip as the main three, with cover from Hoever, Fabinho and Sepp van den Berg.
The alarming thing for Liverpool’s rivals is that a) Jurgen Klopp is going nowhere for a while and b) they have four or five teenagers who look seriously good, so this success could well be sustainable.
“Hi Rob,” says Marty Bull. “I don’t see any 1st IX transfers happening this window. They are all fantastic already. But there needs to be an injection of quality (and hunger) in the supporting cast - with Lallana, Lovren, Shaqiri, Clyne etc all likely moving on.”
As Mike said, there are some extremely good youngsters. The only position where you are short of cover is left-back, and even then, Milner or Gomez can do a decent job. Maybe you need one more back-up forward as well, but you have decent cover in those positions: Minamino, Origi, Oxlade-Chamberlain, perhaps Wilson.
There’s a lot of talk of Traore and, while the thought of him playing with the additional energy and power that Jurgen Klopp gives all his players is utterly terrifying, it’s hard to see how he would fit in. Why tinker with the best forward line in the world?
“I can’t see the need to buy this window,” says Mike MacKenzie. “A fourth top striker would want more playing time than he’s likely to get barring injury. Same for any good LB to back up Andy. At other positions, there is enough talent in academy and soon-to-be ready-for-prime-time guys like Elliott, Jones & Williams.”
Yes, I agree. I suppose you could make a case for a centre back but I think Gomez and Matip are fine. Besides, you could play me alongside Virgil van Dijk and still keep a clean sheet most weeks.
One small point This perch business, it’s about sustained success. Howard Wilkinson never set foot on a perch, not did Carlo Ancelotti or even Arsene Wenger. Liverpool are the best team in the world but they’re not back on their perch. At least not yet.
Liverpool looked tired in March but lockdown has refreshed them and, with no other distractions, you’d expect them to break the English top-flight records for points (100) and wins (32).
Both those records were set by Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. Liverpool need five wins from their last seven games to knock Pep off his statistical perch. The remaining games are:
- Man City (A)
- Aston Villa (H)
- Brighton (A)
- Burnley (H)
- Arsenal (A)
- Chelsea (H)
- Newcastle (A)
A question for Liverpool fans that nobody bothered to answer first time round Will/should you make any major signings this summer? If I were Jurgen Klopp, I’m not sure I would buy anybody except maybe a couple of squad players. You need to be careful with that golden goose.
A bit of news from elsewhere Arsenal have confirmed that their Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli will miss the rest of the season after having a knee operation.
Another plug for Andy Hunter’s epic on how Jurgen Klopp turned Liverpool into the world’s best team.
Liverpool city council are working with #LFC on plans to mark title victory at end of July. More details in next few weeks. Tony Reeves, council CEO, also says: "As soon as it is safe to do so, we plan to stage a parade to mark this huge moment for the city and its people."
— Andy Hunter (@AHunterGuardian) June 26, 2020
Go on Jurgen lad
Hahahaha
— The Anfield Wrap (@TheAnfieldWrap) June 26, 2020
My manager pic.twitter.com/Y9LlBPOLZ2
...big smile and are proud of all we achieved together. This one was for you 🏆❤️#YNWA
— Dejan lovren (@Dejan06Lovren) June 26, 2020
Pop quiz, hotshot
Since you asked, I got 12/15. Bleeding M*A*S*H.
Updated
Every dream has been realised.
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) June 26, 2020
Every question has been answered.
Destiny threw Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool together.
Congratulations to the 2019-20 Premier League Champions. pic.twitter.com/6HBnHbdSIl
Merseyside Police made 10 arrests for public order offences on Thursday night, when Liverpool fans gathered outside Anfield to celebrate the imminent reopening of the pubs.
Jurgen Klopp will be talking to the press at 1pm local time, and we’ll keep you posted on what he says.
In case you missed it last night, here’s Barney Ronay’s tribute to the new champions.
A question for Liverpool fans Will/should you make any major signings this summer? If I were Jurgen Klopp, I’m not sure I would buy anybody except maybe a couple of squad players. You need to be careful with that golden goose.
Here’s Jamie Jackson’s news story on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s slightly grudging congratulations to Liverpool. His main point was a fair one, though; nobody is going to win 13 league titles with one club ever again.
Thanks Scott, afternoon everyone. Let’s start with the tweet we’ve all been waiting for. If it didn’t feel real before, it does now!
Congratulations to everyone at @LFC and all my former teammates! A fantastic achievement and fully deserved! 👏🏾 #LFC pic.twitter.com/U5LaHvYmn2
— Christian Benteke (@chrisbenteke) June 26, 2020
I’m off to operate the levers and pulleys of the Fiver. Apologies in advance. In the meantime, Rob Smyth will grit his teeth and see you through the afternoon. While he makes himself a cup of tea, plumps up a cushion, gets his papers in order, etc., here’s a musical interlude.
I only came down for breakfast...!!! @LFC pic.twitter.com/uJbbj9acFU
— Andy Robertson (@andrewrobertso5) June 26, 2020
A word from Liverpool’s chief executive Peter Moore. He’s sent a message to Sean Cox, who suffered injuries in an attack before the Champions League semi-final against Roma in 2018.
One man in Ireland is loving every moment of this...thinking of you this evening Sean. You'll Never, Ever, Walk Alone pic.twitter.com/J1jCb3hTXj
— Peter Moore (@PeterMooreLFC) June 25, 2020
This isn’t the first time Liverpool have won the league while watching on from the sidelines. In 1947, they beat fellow challengers Wolves in their final game of a weather-hit season. They were top, but had to wait a fortnight for Stoke City to finish their campaign. If Stoke won at Sheffield United, they’d be champions. But they’d preposterously sold star man Stanley Matthews during the run-in (!) and lost, so the title was Liverpool’s. They were told the news midway through a local-cup kickabout with Everton. Here we remember Albert Stubbins, goalscorer and Sgt Pepper cover star, whose winner against Wolves secured the prize.
A Liverpool legend offers his congratulations.
Congratulations to @LFC, after 30 years, the dream comes true! Very happy for all the Reds! You'll never walk alone #YNWA #Champions #Liverpool
— Rafa Benitez Web (@rafabenitezweb) June 25, 2020
Stop everything! Drop everything! Here’s Andy Hunter’s opus on how Jurgen Klopp turned Liverpool into a title-winning machine. Make yourself a cup of tea, kick back and enjoy, this highly entertaining long read should take you all the way through to lunch.
Here hair here. Uke Krasniqi, a diehard Liverpool supporter from Kosovo, now based in Vancouver, took Steven Gerrard’s infamous 2014 slip hard. “You never get over it, but you have to, that’s life, you have to move on.” Whether that philosophy strictly tallies with his subsequent pledge to never cut his hair again until Liverpool won the Premier League is perhaps a debate for another day. “I’ve been keeping my hair... I’ve been waiting for this moment. I said it: as long as it takes. I had a few disappointing moments but it seems that I’m finally there, it’s going to happen. Whenever I see Jordan Henderson lifting that trophy I will be cutting my hair.” There’s some video of him not cutting his hair yet here, if that’s not more than enough.
Who doesn’t enjoy staring blankly at a list? Here’s where Liverpool now reside in the pantheon of English champions.
20: Manchester United
19: Liverpool
13: Arsenal
9: Everton
7: Aston Villa
6: Sunderland, Chelsea, Manchester City
4: Newcastle United, Sheffield Wednesday
3: Huddersfield Town, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers
2: Preston North End, Portsmouth, Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur, Derby County
1: Sheffield United, West Bromwich Albion, Ipswich Town, Nottingham Forest, Leicester City
We have pictures of Liverpool, a city en fête. An extremely gentle nod to Goal!, the official film of the 1966 World Cup, there. You’re welcome.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has offered congratulations to his club’s bitterest rivals.
First of all, any team that wins the championship and a Premier League deserve it and they deserve credit.
It’s a hard league to win, so well done to Jurgen and his players.
For me, every time you see anyone else lift the trophy it hurts. I reckon that’s the feeling everyone associated with Man United - all players, staff and supporters. Of course we want to get back to winning ways and that’s our challenge.
The run of titles that we won under Sir Alex, I don’t think that’s going to be easy for anyone to emulate and to copy.
Sir Alex was a master of staying at the top, so, for me, our challenge is to make sure it doesn’t go say 26 years until the next time we win it or even more.
We’re going to do everything we can to shorten the distance or go past them of course.
Updated
Light entertainment dept. You’d have to be quite the cynic not to enjoy this bit of knockabout fun, whoever you support.
Has anyone seen @GNev2? 👀#WheresGary pic.twitter.com/MSNoSaBdwD
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 25, 2020
Pep Guardiola, ever the great sportsman, has congratulated Liverpool on their title. So has Frank Lampard, both men speaking after last night’s game at Stamford Bridge. We have video.
Updated
Another paean to Liverpool? Why not. Time to revisit this evocative number from our very own Hannah Jane Parkinson.
First he revived the Boston Red Sox, consigning the Curse of the Bambino to history. Now he’s ended one of the longest and most notorious title droughts in English football. That’s not a bad sporting one-two, so put your hands together for Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry, folks! Here’s what he’s had to say on the Twitter.
This was a season for the ages and for the faithful of Liverpool Football Club. It has been an incredible year of magnificent achievement culminating tonight in capturing the Premier League title.
The world has watched the fierce determination of this club on the field for every single match – the preparation, the resolve and the talent of those who put together perhaps the greatest league performance ever in any country’s history.
This in addition to winning a European championship, a Super Cup and a world championship -- the totality of this accomplishment has brought respite and joy to so many in a year filled with so much tragedy. LFC has made the beautiful game more beautiful than ever.
It is said, “We are Liverpool.” You, the supporters are Liverpool in every sense and you continue to drive the club forward -- a historic club making history once again.
In case you missed it, Jurgen Klopp got pretty emotional last night. This is such a sweet moment. You wouldn’t have him any other way. “If you do not cry while watching Klopp’s interview you are not human,” argues Chelsea fan Krish, and it’s very difficult to disagree. Especially if you’re two bottles in.
In the interests of full transparency, other newspapers are freely available to read and enjoy. One of them, the Daily Telegraph, carries the words of one of the heroes of Istanbul, Jamie Carragher. “It is the season of all seasons, the campaign of all campaigns,” he writes. “Klopp arrived at Anfield saying he wanted to turn doubters into believers. I was one of those who had given up hope. It gives me the greatest pleasure to admit these words now look misjudged. In my defence ... no one took me to task for the remarks at the time.”
Like it or not, Chelsea repeatedly crop up on the long and winding road to Liverpool’s success, one way or another. There’s their victory last night over Manchester City. That match at Anfield in 2014. And arguably most vitally, one of their supporters, Martin Broughton, was instrumental in getting shot of these comedians. Another reminder for the kids that one should never give up on the old hope.
Updated
This isn’t just about Liverpool. What about their vanquished rivals Manchester City, whose attempt to join the ranks of Huddersfield Town, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United as three-peat title-winners unravelled in the grand style? Jacob Steinberg has been looking into that, and here’s his verdict.
Speaking of goals, here’s how Liverpool have spread them out this season:
17: Mohamed Salah
15: Sadio Mane
8: Roberto Firmino
4: Virgil van Dijk
3: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jordan Henderson, Divock Origi, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Georginio Wijnaldum
2: Fabinho, James Milner, own goals
1: Naby Keita, Adam Lallana, Joel Matip, Andy Robertson, Xherdan Shaqiri
A message from Liverpool’s leading goalscorer this season ...
Yes. It feels THAT good. I want to thank all our supporters watching us from all corners of the world. You made this possible for us and I hope we can keep bringing you the joy you deserve. 🎶 now they’re gonna believe us 🎶 😀 pic.twitter.com/bqkXM1Fjpj
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) June 26, 2020
♫ ♯ Thank you for the days, those endless days, those sacred days you gave me / I’m thinking of the days, I won’t forget a single day, believe me ♯ ♫ Less than ten years ago, this was happening. Never give up hope, kids. There’s always hope.
Jordan Henderson has become the first Liverpool captain since Alan Hansen to lead his team to the championship. He’s been struggling to take it all in. Here’s what he told Liverpool’s official website:
It’s hard to describe, to be honest. But after the final whistle it was just an amazing feeling, especially to spend it with all the lads and the staff.
To finally get over the line is a relief but also an amazing feeling. It’s a unique feeling and one that I’m very proud of.
I’ve been so honoured to be part of this football club right from the first moment that I came and to go on the journey to be with this manager, this group of players, these fans - it’s been so special.
But we’ll enjoy this, we’ll celebrate, but then I know in the next few days they’ll be straight onto the next game, which is City, and finishing the season off as well as we can.
We want to win every game and we want to finish off with the highest points record we can and give everything we’ve got and then we’ll go into next season and we’ll want even more.
There were numerous games where I felt there were big results and big performances in certain stages of the season. But at the same time I never got carried away after a win or a performance - it was literally ‘job done, let’s pick it up next game and go again and keep doing that until we get to this point’.
You never know what is going to happen in football.
Liverpool have passed up some chances to win the Premier League before, of course. Think back to 1996-97, 2002-03 and last season. But none were as bitter as 2013-14. Let’s not rake over old coals, suffice to say that an old friend is very happy this morning.
It was 30 years ago today ... give or take a couple of months. Here’s how the Observer reported on Liverpool’s slightly fortuitous deal-sealing victory over QPR at the business end of the 1989-90 season. Thanks to Jason Rodrigues for doing the digging. Aston Villa fans may enjoy the final paragraph, a harbinger of things to come.
Player ratings. Our man on Merseyside, Andy Hunter, has run the rule over Liverpool’s first title-winning squad since the days of
Mike Marsh, Nick Tanner and David Burrows
Ian Rush, John Barnes and Alan Hansen. Here’s his verdict ... and he hasn’t gone in two-footed on Dejan Lovren, we’re all about spreading the love today.
Now’s as good a moment as any for some cheap triumphalism. As Mohamed Salah said the other day, it’s Liverpool’s time. So here’s a not-particularly-comprehensive list of most major trophies won by English clubs.
48: Liverpool
45: Manchester United
30: Arsenal
Of course, United have 20 English titles to Liverpool’s shiny new total of 19, and as Bill Shankly was fond of saying, that’s the “bread and butter”. So it’s swings and roundabouts, depending on your allegiance / mood.
Good morning Liverpool fans.
And I will bid you farewell and hand over to my colleague in London, Scott Murray, with a few of the newspaper headlines Liverpool fans will be waking up to this morning (quite possibly with sore heads).
CORONAVIRUS CHAOS ON THE BEACHES dominates most of the front pages, but “Kop Idols” is the headline in the Express, while the Daily Star goes for “On Klopp of the World”. “Kop Kings” is in the Metro, while “The wait is over” appears in the Mirror. The back page of this esteemed publication goes with the headline from Barney Ronay’s excellent piece: A sporting machine at the peak of it power. Which you can read here.
We’ve heard how police have warned of the Covid-19 risks associated with large gatherings such as the one seen around Anfield last night. Here are some more details of where other celebrations were going on, courtesy of Reuters:
The celebrations took over the city centre, with the Cunard Building, by the Pier Head, lit up in red for the night. Elsewhere, St Luke’s Church, known locally as the bombed-out church, became a focal point for fans to congregate, let off fireworks and go through their repertoire of songs. Cars were kept out of the area by police but supporters around the city blared their horns in jubilation.
The combination of flares, smoke and fans certainly made for some wonderful photographs though. Here’s a gallery with the pick of the bunch:
Updated
I don’t think we’ve covered off the thoughts of these former players yet, so here they are.
Luis Garcia: “... What a fantastic achievement. Congrats to all the players, staff and board member. I’m not forgetting the supporters. Enjoy the moment, it’s been a long time but finally is here!!”
Fernando Torres: “... Unbelievable squad, magnificent manager, great staff but above all my sincere congrats to every single LFC supporter. You’ve been waiting so long and finally that desired trophy is yours. Very well deserved. YNWA.”
Pepe Reina: “... Award more than deserved after an excellent season... 30 years later. Today I feel more than proud of having belonged to this great club.”
And not a former player, but a pretty important figure, owner John Henry: “This was a season for the ages and for the faithful of Liverpool Football Club. It has been an incredible year of magnificent achievement culminating tonight in capturing the Premier League title.”
This just in from my colleague, Martin Farrer, on the large numbers of fans who gathered at Anfield last night which prompted warnings from police concerned about people flouting social-distancing rules.
Merseyside police Asst Chief Cons Rob Carden said the region had been “disproportionately affected” by the coronavirus pandemic and its residents had a responsibility to prevent further cases.
Read the full story here:
More reaction, if you can handle it, and perhaps some insight into why this team is so far ahead of others (Papa Klopp).
Andy Robertson: “As a squad we’re so close. We love coming in to training every single day. If somebody is having a bad game, we dig them out of a hole and we stick together on the pitch, we stick together off the pitch – that’s why this squad is so special. I love being a part of it.
“We’re all kind of brothers and we have a dad figure in the gaffer and he’s the one that leads us in the right direction. Him and his staff have been second to none, to be fair, since I’ve came here. This season they’ve been excellent to us going, keep us hungry, keep us motivated.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: “Obviously things are not as we imagined probably a few months ago or even a year ago how we imagined to win the Premier League, but we are not going to complain and make a fuss of. It’s something we’ve always dreamed of. As fans I think it’s something that will always be remembered.”
A “completely overwhelmed” Klopp has spoken of the countdown to the final whistle at Stamford Bridge, while watching on from afar. “In that moment it was a pure explosion... then pure... I cannot describe it. It was a really nice moment.”
If this moment in history doesn’t call for peace and love from one of the Fab Four, I don’t know what does.
Congratulations Liverpool number one I send you peace and love. 😎✌️🌟💖🎵🎶🍒🙏☮️ pic.twitter.com/RESqHTbWl1
— #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) June 26, 2020
Praise is flowing as freely as a bloated Mersey on a rainy day, and as you’d expect it’s a bit of a love-in. Several Liverpool greats have been queuing up to heap praise on Klopp’s side with Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness and Mark Lawrenson all acknowledging the job Klopp has done.
Dalglish oversaw the club’s last triumph 30 years ago said he would never have expected to have waiting so long for another. “If you would have said that, you would have been arrested and sectioned,” Dalglish told BT Sport. “Sometimes things happen, but certainly the last two years and since Juergen has come in it’s been very positive. He’s been fantastic and epitomises everything Liverpool stand for, he appreciates and respects everyone that works at the club.
“Whatever he gets he deserves. It’s not a one-off because last year they came within a point of it, this year they’ve only lost one, drawn two. They won a club world championship, they won the Champions League last year as well. Onward and upwards and I think we’ve got a lot more happy days to come as long as Jürgen’s there.”
Souness told Sky: “It’s not just about this season. This is a special team. This is a team that nobody enjoys playing against... They give everything... when you combine that effort and the quality they have... they’re some team.”
And Lawrenson was full of praise for Klopp in his column in the Times. “Jürgen has... embraced Liverpool’s past. After all, the past is why he came here. He knew what could be achieved and what is being achieved. It didn’t frighten him ... that the club had been without the title for so long.”
You know what they say, “red sky in the morning, Liverpool won the title the night before”.
Eerie sky outside the BBC this morning. pic.twitter.com/Sa0oYK5Ou1
— Lewis Vaughan Jones (@LVaughanJones) June 26, 2020
More from Klopp now, courtesy of the club’s official website: the German has dedicated the victory to fans, and picked out several former players and managers. This is why he is loved by Liverpool fans, he gets the club.
“My message is: it’s for you out there ... I hope you feel it. It’s for so many people. Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness spoke to me ... they were very positive. That’s nice but it’s thanks to them because this club is built on what they did. It’s built ... on [Bill] Shankly, [Bob] Paisley and [Joe] Fagan and all the others, but on these players... Steven Gerrard – this club’s built on, in the last 20 years, on Stevie’s legs. He had to carry all the pressure. He did that exceptionally.
“The boys love being part of this club, they love being part of the story of this club and the history. It’s so nice how we learned how to deal with the history, how we learned to use the history in the last two years.”
Klopp said he had made sure everyone watched the match together.
“There was no alternative... we thought about it, shall we do something and then we thought maybe not compulsory, the boys have to drive a bit. Then I said, ‘no, we have to make it compulsory, everybody has to be there,’ because I’m more experienced... I know who will stay at home and watch it alone will regret it for the rest of his life.”
And of course he wouldn’t forget his backroom staff, which so many past Liverpool dynasties have been built on.
“Thirty years ago… 30 years ago… I was 23, so I didn’t think too much about winning a title with Liverpool, to be honest! I had no skills for that! Thirty years later I am here and because of the great staff I have, it is unbelievable.”
Thanks Bryan in New York. The baton is now passed across to Sydney for continued coverage of this story, which has thoroughly global significance.
For now though, let’s just enjoy some of the reaction on the streets of Liverpool, while trying to forget there’s still a pandemic raging for just a moment.
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson was at a loss for words on Thursday when prompted to express the feeling of ending the club’s three-decade hoodoo.
“I could never in words describe the feeling of winning the Premier League, just like I couldn’t describe winning the Champions League,” the 30-year-old midfielder told the club’s website. “It’s a unique feeling and one that, again, I’m very proud of. I’ve been so honoured to be part of this football club right from the first moment that I came and to go on the journey to be with this manager, this group of players, these fans – it’s been so special. But we’ll enjoy this, we’ll celebrate, but then I know in the next few days they’ll be straight onto the next game, which is City, and finishing the season off as well as we can.
“We want to win every game and we want to finish off with the highest points record we can and give that everything we’ve got and then we’ll go into next season and we’ll want even more. So it’s about just keeping that hunger and I’ve got no doubt that we’ve got that because we’ve proved that over the past couple of years.”
Asked to describe Liverpool’s motivation to come back even stronger after last year’s historic, doomed title race with Man City, Henderson invoked the club’s hardened constitution while pointing to a future of limitless promise.
“I think you can use that as a motivation and that as extra energy to keep going and to want to do it really, to want to get over the line and finish the job off,” he said. “Last season we played so well and were so unlucky, but City were amazing and they managed pip us in the end. We kept going right until the last day and that’s all we could ask for really. Obviously a few weeks later winning the Champions League helped, and then I think we’ve kicked on again and we’ve been unbelievable this season.
“For now it’s about keeping on improving, keeping on doing the things we’ve been doing to get to this point but also keep improving, learning even more and if we do that then I’m pretty sure there’ll be more trophies available to us in the near future.”
Thousands of Liverpool supporters descended on Anfield Road on Thursday night to revel in the club’s first top-flight title in three decades. While the celebrations were roundly peaceful, the social distancing guidelines in response to the coronavirus pandemic were in many cases all but ignored.
That prompted the following statement from assistant chief constable Rob Carden of Merseyside Police early Friday morning:
I would like to congratulate Liverpool FC on deservedly winning the Premier League title, and thank the thousands of Liverpool fans across Merseyside who celebrated at home, as they have for the previous games played behind closed doors.
The overwhelming majority of fans have recognised the fact that now is not the time to gather together to celebrate, and chose to mark the event safely. They are a credit to this city.
Unfortunately, as we have seen throughout the lockdown period, not everyone adhered to the regulations in place. Although the vast majority of celebrations were good natured, a large number of people chose to gather outside the stadium.
In the days ahead, we urge supporters to do the right thing and celebrate safely with members of your household and in your social bubble. By doing this you keep yourself, your family, friends and neighbours safe.
As we all know, Merseyside has been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and we must all do what we can to prevent further cases and deaths in our communities.
We understand people will feel jubilant that Liverpool has secured the league title for the first time in 30 years, and the time will come when fans can return to Anfield to applaud the team and to celebrate their achievement.
Please follow the advice of the players, the manager and the club by putting safety first. The club is encouraging fans to share their experiences of watching future games at home with the hashtag #LFCAtHome on social media, and we all look forward to sharing your experiences of celebrating safely.
Updated
My colleague Andy Hunter has followed up his match report with a sidebar on Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp, who became overcome with emotion in the immediate aftermath of Thursday’s long-awaited 19th top-flight title.
“It’s much more than I ever thought would be possible,” the 53-year-old said. “Becoming champion with this club is absolutely incredible.”
Klopp and his players gathered at Formby Hall golf club, not far from the German’s home on Merseyside, to watch Chelsea’s 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge and erupted in celebration on the final whistle. The scenes were recreated across Merseyside where, despite appeals from police, thousands of fans congregated outside Anfield and road blocks were set up around the stadium. Fireworks and car horns could be heard.
“What can I say? It’s an incredible moment,” Klopp said in an interview with Sky. “I couldn’t be more proud of my coaching staff and all the people in Liverpool since we came in. It’s been a really exciting ride since the first day and it is not over yet. We watched it all together with the boys and it looks like there are still a good few more years left in their legs. It’s more than I ever dreamed of.
“It is a big moment, I have no words. It is such a big moment and I’m completely overwhelmed. I never could have thought it would feel like this, I had no idea …” Klopp, filling up with tears, broke off the interview at this point with: “Sorry gentlemen, I’m sealed.”
Champions of England, champions of Europe and champions of the world. The latter of which includes such far-flung locales as New Zealand, from where reader Catherine Downes writes in to say: “My husband Maciek playing the Liverpool anthem as we celebrate!”
NBA superstar LeBron James, the 35-year-old centerpiece of the Los Angeles Lakers who obtained a 2% stake in Fenway Sports Group back in 2011, was among the first to congratulate Liverpool on today’s long-awaited Premier League title.
PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LET’S GO 🗣🗣🗣🗣🗣 @LFC #YNWA♥️ 🙏🏾💪🏾🏆👑
— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 25, 2020
At the time, James’s piece of the team was valued at around $6.5m (£5.2). These days it’s reported to be worth at least five times that much.
James, whose Lakers have sat at the top of the Western Conference for most of a NBA season that was postponed in March due to Covid-19, would be the last person to call himself a week-in-week-out Kopite.
But the four-time Most Valuable Player, whom some have said is a better rebounder and passer than Michael Jordan, has been known to surface at Anfield over the years for the prestige fixtures.
Updated
The sun is just going down in New York but Reds throughout the city are raging on into the night. Typically the center of the party would be the 11th Street Pub in the East Village, which is the headquarters of the Liverpool FC Supporter’s Club of NYC, in addition to the six other bars across the city LFCNY works with to accommodate overflow crowd. But the coronavirus pandemic mostly left the group’s 750-strong membership, which Wells estimates are half Americans and half expats, watching today’s match separately while keeping in touch via Zoom and WhatsApp.
“Due to Covid most people watched at home, but a few of our bars with outdoor space were able to host small crowds,” LFCNY president Justin Wells tells the Guardian. “We’re planning some sort of party at 11th Street when it’s safe.”
Champions. That’s it. That’s the tweet.
— LFCNY (@LFCNY) June 25, 2020
David Rose, 46, was among the Liverpool natives who took in Thursday’s long-awaited title clincher a long way from home.
“We were two wins away from glory when the lockdown happened and I’d been planning on being back in Liverpool for what would surely be a homecoming parade with the trophy, which I watched as an almost annual event as a kid stood on Queen’s Drive,” Rose says. “I wanted to see that so bad. Today watching two teams that weren’t mine, on a janky monitor in my sweaty back room, on the other side of the world, and with only a Stella to keep me company ... I think it was the greatest league victory of them all. Liverpool or Brownsville, it feels like the greatest thing that could happen has happened, and a virus can’t take that away.
“You see, there’s this lad from Liverpool called Trent, and he’s only gone and got himself a Premier League champion’s medal.”
Updated
It’s 1am in the UK, and I suspect/hope the Liverpool players are very, very drunk. I’m going to hand over to Bryan Armen Graham in the US. Thanks for your company and emails on an iconic date in English football history. In 1990, you’d have got seriously long odds on Liverpool winning their next title on 25 June 2020.
Updated
You’ll all have your favourite memory of the season. There were many more spectacular moments, but I still think this second goal exemplifies the exhilarating brilliance and leadpipe cruelty of this Liverpool side.
Updated
A bit more from the wires
Steven Gerrard hailed Liverpool’s “incredible achievement” in being crowned champions for the first time in the Premier League era.
The Reds were handed the crown on Thursday night as Manchester City’s loss to Chelsea left them 23 points behind the leaders with seven games left to play.
Among those marking the achievement was former skipper Gerrard, who won two FA Cups and a Champions League with the club but never claimed a league title.
Gerrard, now manager of Rangers, wrote on Instagram: “Congratulations to all liverpoolfc on winning the premier league. Incredible achievement from a fantastic squad of top players.
“Lead by a world class manager and coaching team also a special mention for the backing from FSG. And lastly and most importantly the fans who have waited 30 years. Let the party begin.”
One of Gerrard’s former team-mates, Michael Owen, tweeted: “Congratulations LFC What an unbelievable season and the best team by a mile!”
Liverpool’s current players were also tweeting as they watched events unfold at Stamford Bridge, as footage circulated around social media which appeared to show many of them watching the game together.
Full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold wrote on Twitter: “Championssss!!!!”
Midfielder James Milner wrote: “30 years Reds! Let’s enjoy it! Honoured to be part of this team & this club”
Referencing those who died in the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, defender Dejan Lovren wrote: “96 - Dream came true”
And posting a screenshot from his phone showing four missed calls from Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson joked: “Wonder what he wants”
Luis Garcia, a Champions League winner with the Reds in 2005, tweeted: “Congratulations to LFC!! What a fantastic achievement.
“Congrats to all the players, staff and board member. I’m not forgetting the Supporters. Enjoy the moment, it’s been a long time but finally is here !!”
Another member of that Champions League winning team, Djimi Traore, wrote: “Congratulations to LFC for winning premier league 2019-20. Well deserve trophy for klopp and his team.fantastic achievement for LFC YNWA”
Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge posted a video of himself celebrating with an inflatable trophy. Aldridge, who won the league with the Reds in 1987-88, tweeted: “What a wonderful feeling for all LFC fans across the globe!Love it,Absolutely smashed the league to bits”
Another past Liverpool striker, Fernando Torres, wrote: “Huge congrats to everyone at LFC on winning the premierleague. Unbelievable squad, magnificent manager, great staff but above all my sincere congrats to every single LFC supporter. You’ve been waiting so long and finally that desired trophy is yours. Very well deservedYNWA”
Former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina wrote: “CHAMPIONS!! Congratulations LFC!! Award more than deserved after an excellent season. 30 years later Today I feel more than proud of having belonged to this great club”
Former Liverpool manager Roy Evans tweeted: “Well deserved congrats to jurgen. and the team a great finish we have Waited a long time for this a great team effort from the manager the team and lots of people behind the scenes and of course our brilliant fans. To you all YNWA”
Updated
From the news wires
Liverpool and Manchester City have set the benchmark for the rest of the Premier League to follow, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard said after masterminding the 2-1 win over City that handed the Reds their first league title in 30 years on Thursday.
Lampard, who won three Premier League titles as a player at Chelsea, congratulated Liverpool in a news conference and said it was up to other clubs to match them and Pep Guardiola’s City.
“I think for the last three seasons, themselves (Liverpool) and City have been out on their own pretty much, and that’s a lot of work,” he said.
“It’s a gap that we want to try and breach, we want to move up towards - they are two of the best teams in the world. Again, credit to Liverpool for what they’ve done,” Lampard added.
I’ve been thinking a lot about two people tonight, my colleagues Gregg Bakowski and Scott Murray. Two of the finer blokes and journalists you’ll ever meet, who had to put up with me luxuriating in Manchester United’s title wins of the 2000s, so it’s lovely to see Gregg’s name pop up in my inbox:
This is Klopp’s title Rob. He’s made good players into incredible ones and I don’t think they would be so effective under another manager in a different system. His impact at the club has been immense. With apologies to talented people at Guardian Towers, I’d love him to be my boss.
Updated
A reminder that, though comments aren’t open on this blog, you can have your say below the line on Barney Ronay’s brilliant tribute to the champions.
Huge congrats to everyone at @LFC on winning the @premierleague. Unbelievable squad, magnificent manager, great staff but above all my sincere congrats to every single LFC supporter. You've been waiting so long and finally that desired trophy is yours. Very well deserved🙌🏻🏆#YNWA pic.twitter.com/hf6DzX6fOP
— Fernando Torres (@Torres) June 25, 2020
“Hey Rob,” says Tony Barr. “Moved to England from Glasgow in 1977 when my dad needed a job. Who else was I going to support but the new team of my boyhood hero? Things were easy and fun for many years, but Heysel and Hillsborough proved an uncomfortable background to my coming of age.
“I don’t need to tell you about the intervening 30 years, but I will say that it’s not just the fact we’ve won the league, but the manner in which it’s been done that moves me to write. The character of the manager and the team and their perfect relationship with their home city is something you can’t manufacture. Not least of all the stories that make up the success. That Andy Robertson retweet never fails to get me filling up. “I’ve got plenty to do tomorrow but I’m not done reading and watching the highlights yet.” Yeah, that’s a very good point. The background of the players is interesting, and the clubs from which they were signed: Southampton, Roma, Schalke, Newcastle, Monaco, Charlton, Hull, Hoffenheim, Lille, Stoke, Leipzig. They became superstars together. I’m no Liverpool fan but you’d have to be a bit odd not to find them thoroughly admirable.
“I used to live Liverpool’s victories from the late seventies through the eighties with my brother and it defined our childhood,” says Ian Copestake. “But life brings amazing changes and I am glad this comes in a different time because it is just as sweet and I have so many other people to share it with including the best Guardian MBMers and MBMees!”
We should all meet up sometime. I’ll be on the Kerguelen Islands for the next few years if you’re passing that way.
In the 13 years up to May 2019, Liverpool won only one trophy, the Carling Cup or whatever it was called in 2011-12.
In the last 13 months, they’ve won the Champions League, the Super Club, the World Club Cup and now the Premier League.
Updated
“Hi Rob,” says Chris Kempshall. “So I was only six years old in 1990. I understood the nature/existence of football and having watched a Liverpool game previously and been amazed by John Barnes (my hero before I understood heroes) I was a fan, but I didn’t really understand. I watched the VHS of the 89/90 season to death but going through the school years as Liverpool withered away was not a great deal of fun.
“Looking back on it tonight, it’s amazing just how long it all feels. We’ve had more complete collapses and rebuilds than title challenges. After the 2013/14 season I did genuinely wonder if it was ever going to happen. Tonight is, therefore, something I’ve basically waited my whole life for. Those 30 years did not fly by...”
Interlude
life at this age is rubbish with no money #needajob
— Andy Robertson (@andrewrobertso5) August 18, 2012
Tell the world…
— Liverpool FC (at 🏠) (@LFC) June 25, 2020
We are Liverpool, champions of England. pic.twitter.com/altgWn1Wda
“Hi Rob,” says Peter Oh. “I don’t know anything about Rockstar by Dababy ft. Roddy Ricch but this is the tune that I’ll remember this day by.”
Liverpool FC have climbed onto the walls around Anfield and there are three on the roof of The Park pub as celebrations continue on the streets around the stadium pic.twitter.com/De615qT6TC
— Eleanor Barlow (@EleanorBarlow) June 25, 2020
Andy Hunter has a round-up of the reaction to Liverpool’s triumph, including Jurgen Klopp’s emotional interview
“I was nineteen back in 1990: fresh-faced and carefree,” says Madge Stapleton. “Never did l think l’d have to wait thirty years to see success again. I have fifteen red shirts (and one yellow David James one) to remind me of the heartache and the near misses and the absolute despair at times. None of it matters now. Klopp is crying, Virg is dancing and I’m nineteen (19!) again.”
And Jack Charlton’s Ireland are in the World Cup quarter-finals!
Liverpool clinched the title because of Manchester City’s eighth league defeat of the season. That’s a scandal for a team of their quality, and Pep Guardiola surely won’t let it happen next season.
“It’s mad how few near misses we’ve had over 30 years,” says Niall Mullen. “1990-91, when we started like a train, is often forgotten, I guess because it happened before modern football. But between losing at home to Coventry in 1997 and Andrei Arshavin scoring four in 2009 we never really got close. 2014 was a bit of an aberration, like the time the beautiful girl goes out with you for a few months before coming to her senses. It’s almost an achievement to have been out of contention for so long.”
There’s a bit of a police presence at Anfield, though it doesn’t sound like they are doing much. That particular horse has long since done one.
Updated
The evening’s burning question has finally been answered
“Got the crisps,” says Ian Copestake.
Here’s Barney Ronay on Liverpool’s title triumph
Make no mistake, this was an annihilation. Liverpool didn’t just outrun the rest of the field. From late summer into spring they seemed to be operating to a different set of physical laws, marching the Premier League around in a headlock, ruffling its hair, flicking its ears.
“I wonder,” says Simon McMahon, “if anyone will remember that Rockstar by Dababy ft. Roddy Ricch was No.1 this week when Liverpool win the league again in 2050...”
“Hi Rob,” says Jan Krcmar. “I’m ‘celebrating’ at home in Prague, while my wife and kids are asleep. I had plans to travel to Liverpool for the original title parade and I waited so ridiculously long to actually book the plane tickets, because I thought I would jinx it. I originally said, I’d buy the tickets after the City game, then after the Leicester game and I waited until the end of January to buy them and then... oh, well. Sorry, I now have to go and wake up our six-year-old son and tell him the news.”
This is Liverpool’s Premier League record since the start of last season (spoiler: it’s astonishing)
P69 W58 D9 L2 F159 A43 Pts 183
That’s an average of 101 points in a 38-game season, and they’ve done it across the best part of two seasons.
Updated
“Evening Rob,” says Paul Spencer. “I’ve been a Liverpool fan since the ‘74 season. I’ve seen a lot, good and bad, but this one hits me in the soul. I was doing a pretty good ‘stoic old man’ impression until Jurgen started crying, but that left me sobbing like a baby. It’s mid-afternoon on the west coast of America (home now, at least for a while). I’m going to step out and lose my mind now. I may be gone for some time.”
I’m just catching up with Jurgen Klopp’s interview on Sky Sports. Bless him, he couldn’t control the tears and ended up walking away.
It’s such a big moment, I’m completely overwhelmed. I never would have thought I would feel like this. I had no idea. It’s just... sorry, gentlemen, I am sealed, all the best.
Updated
The near misses of the last 30 years don’t matter any more. David James’ PlayStation odyssey; Rafa Benitez’s presentation; Steven Gerrard’s slip. They’re all part of the backstory now.
Updated
“Hello Rob,” says Samuel Hewetson. “I’m not an ardent football fan, but am cheering along with the loudest of them tonight. My grandfather Richard lived and breathed Liverpool FC. He watched every match, every season, religiously. Since 1990 he had been hoping for today’s win. Sadly he passed away last year, and never got to witness the club being crowned champions again. This is a huge cathartic moment for our family; we can now celebrate for him.”
There’s a helluva party going on at Anfield, with thousands of fans congregating outside the ground. It’s like Bournemouth beach over there.
Updated
The Liverpool squad celebrating!!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/5zNKiqt0j2
— DaveOCKOP (@DaveOCKOP) June 25, 2020
“Evening, Rob,” says Phil Sawyer. “I haven’t dared do anything except dip in fleetingly to the MBM tonight, the last week, this season actually, for fear of jinxing. The likes of Matt Dony are more resilient than me. Being old enough to name Steve Heighway as my first hero as a nipper, it’s been so long this truly started to seem like the impossible dream.
“There will be a lot written tonight, and in the coming days, about Klopp, and rightly so. But FSG deserve praise as well. They haven’t got everything right, even quite recently, but they’ve been able to admit when they’ve made mistakes and put them right, and crucially they had a plan that was always centred around recruiting Klopp, they’ve put the infrastructure and the funds in place to back him, and remembering the night I found myself chatting to fellow Reds BTL on some obscure regional paper site in the States as Hicks and Gillett made a last desperate attempt to keep hold of the club, tonight seemed like an impossible dream back then.
“Having said all that, it’s mainly about Klopp. I shall now get very drunk and pass out to have some entertainingly erotic dreams about him.”
“It’s been more than a 30-year wait for me,” says Robert Tyler. “Liverpool have been my team since 1971, when four-year-old me felt sorry for them when Charlie George scored in the FA CUp Final. I got to enjoy a few years of triumphs, but we moved to the States in the summer of 77 and I’ve been here ever since. Without the internet and no coverage of football in the USA, I completely missed out on the glory of the 80s, including the last title in the 90s. So this is my first league title in 43 years. Not sure how to even process this.”
I wouldn’t bother trying, at least not for the first week.
“Hey Rob,” says Oskar Kostecki. “Tearing up at work in NYC right now. So proud of the whole team for the quality, focus and dedication shown these past few seasons. The never-say-die attitude and the refusal to give up is truly inspirational. Special shout-out to Andy Robertson, who for me is such an embodiment of this team, and so happy for all his achievements these past few years!”
And here’s Jordan Henderson...
“Who’s having that, by the way... Am I on live? [Where are you all, then?] We’re not in the house. I don’t think I can give the location in case loads of people turn up. [I could swear that’s Barnard Castle in the background.] It’s an amazing feeling, you know. I haven’t wanted to speak about it for a long time. You keep trying to get us to talk about but I didn’t want to. Now we’ve finally done it and it’s an amazing feeling.
“It’s so special to be a part of this football team. This wouldn’t be possible without the manager. I hope we stay hungry...”
Sorry, I can’t concentrate on the interview because a load of Facetime Contact Requests keep popping up on the interview screen. Bwip! Bwip! Bwip!
“When we had the lockdown that changed a bit, because I had more time to think. You’ve got to stay focused, stay positive and pray that you get to the finish the season off. It’s great to get over the line and finally win the Premier League.”
Here’s Virgil van Dijk, the man whose signing made it all possible
“Unbelievable. What a season so far. Incredible, incredible, to be part of this group of players. I’m very proud to call myself a Premier League winner. I don’t watch too many games but tonight’s felt like it was taking ages. I haven’t been that nervous in a while. We’re all proud of each other; I can’t really describe the feeling.”
And with that, the entire team charge into shot, drown him in champagne and start singing ‘Championes!’. So they are celebrating together after all.
“This year, we have taken it to a different level. We have been so consistent, we have been doing so well in different parts of game - whether we have to dig deep or win comfortably. It’s a fantastic feeling.”
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From the news wires
“Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry paid tribute to the team’s ‘magnificent achievement’.
“‘This was a season for the ages and for the faithful of Liverpool Football Club,’ the American, head of Fenway Sports Group, tweeted.
“‘It has been an incredible year of magnificent achievement culminating tonight in capturing the Premier League title.
“‘This in addition to winning a European championship, a Super Cup and a world championship - the totality of this accomplishment has brought respite and joy to so many in a year filled with so much tragedy.
“‘LFC has made the beautiful game more beautiful than ever.
“It is said, ‘We are Liverpool’. You, the supporters are Liverpool in every sense and you continue to drive the club forward - a historic club making history once again.”
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“I’m enjoying tonight with a bottle of whisky,” says Matt Dony, “and I will continue to do so until one of us is drunk. By the other one. (Joke c/o John Finnemore.) All jokes aside, this is magnificent. Realistically, other titles could potentially come, but this season seems unrepeatable. The team have been better than any of us could have imagined. Everything has come together. Pick any adjective, and it’s still an understatement.
“Klopp could not have fit in better. It’s a cliche that some people just ‘get’ clubs, but something about the Klopp/Liverpool connection just seems magical. Every player has contributed. It’s an amazing time to be a Liverpool fan. We’ve had some troughs to get to this peak, but my word, what a peak. Seven games to spare. Seven games out of 38. It barely makes sense. Nothing makes sense anymore. Staggered.”
And staggering, in a couple of hours’ time. Congratulations to you and all our Liverpool MBM correspondents. After 30 years, don’t you dare remember this night.
Still no Jurgen Klopp, but here’s Pep Guardiola
“Big congratulations to Liverpool for this great season and the title they won. We have a lot to play for this season but of course we will try to be close to Liverpool next season. We were not consistent like the previous season. They had incredible focus and played every game like it was the last game. In the beginning we didn’t play that way. We cannot forget that we are second in the league so we are still better than a lot of teams.”
Jurgen Klopp is on BT Sport... and his sound isn’t working! Ach.
Here’s a special video on how Jurgen Klopp turned Liverpool into the best team in the world - and England.
“Evening Rob,” says Gerry Scott. “When was the last time the Championship was won by such a fun team? Even Pep’s City in their pomp attract something closer than awe than affection. Whatever this Liverpool team goes on to I think they will be remembered fondly by a lot of people.”
Plenty will prefer City, but I know exactly what you mean. They remind me the most, especially in their tempo and defiant spirit, of a team that probably shouldn’t be mentioned on a Liverpool celebration blog.
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“Hi Rob!” says Annabelle Garnett. “We did it. I am just so proud and happy with their emphatic win. I am sitting here in my lounge in New Zealand wondering how inappropriate it would be to have a drink at 9.30 in the morning. Go Liverpool. Here’s to you, from over here.”
Given the experiences of the average New Zealand sports fan in the last 12 months, I reckon you’ve earned a special brunch.
Thanks for all your emails. There’s a lot going on,
and my flight to the Kerguelen Islands leaves in 20 minutes,
but I’ll try to publish a few of them. You can also have your say below the line on Andy Hunter’s news story.
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WE’RE PREMIER LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/qX7Duxoslm
— Liverpool FC (at 🏠) (@LFC) June 25, 2020
More from Sir Kenny Dalglish and his phone
“The dressing-room is the same PING! as it was [in 1990]. There’s no arrogance, there’s no Jack-the-lads. They’re all very humane lads. You hear stories about them going in for petrol and paying PING! PING! for everybody’s petrol in the station. They buy people food. They seem to be very PING! human beings, and by the way, as well as being successful, it makes them good lads.
[How will you celebrate?]
“Well, I remember Bob Paisley saying once, after the European Cup win in Rome, that he never had the drink because he wanted to remember the occasion. He got drunk on the atmosphere. Bob [raises a champagne flute and breaks into a jaunty smile], I never took your advice, I’m sorry!”
And here’s Jonathan Liew’s report from Stamford Bridge.
1901, 1906, 1922, 1923, 1947, 1964, 1966, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 2020
Here’s the great Scott Murray on Liverpool’s second last title victory.
Sir Kenny Dalglish is speaking on BT Sport, and his phone is pinging every two seconds.
“If you’d said it would be 30 years, you’d have been arrested and sectioned. Since Jurgen’s come in, it’s been very positive all the way through. He epitomises everything that Liverpool Football Club stands for. It’s not just a one-off because last year they came within a point of it. By the way, onwards and upwards. I think we’ve got a lot more happy days to look forward to as long as Jurgen’s there.
“The fans mean an awful lot to the club. They’ll just have to wait a couple of weeks – I’m sure they’ll be a queue outside the pubs on 4th July. There was a wee bit of scepticism about the Liverpool fans waiting outside the ground to see if they’d win the trophy, during lockdown, and what a disrespectful comment that was. They were magnificent: not one of them near the ground. They can behave, and by the way they can give us fantastic support. It is disappointing that they’re not there to see the trophy being won, but they’ll make up for it.”
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First Europe, then the world and now the final frontier: England. Liverpool’s path to global domination may look a bit haphazard, but this is exactly the way it should be. The Premier League was always the one they wanted the most. It’s been an inevitability since 4.43pm on 10 November 2019, when Mo Salah’s exhilarating goal put them 2-0 up at home to Manchester City, and now it’s official: Liverpool are champions of England!
The circumstances are a bit weird, there’s no point denying it. But while Covid-19 may dilute the euphoria of the moment, it doesn’t diminish the achievement one little bit. Two years ago Liverpool finished fourth, 25 points behind Manchester City, and were just another team reduced to domestic irrelevance by Pep Guardiola. But unlike the others, and even though they had three decades of history on their back, Liverpool accepted the challenge of a City side that looked unconquerable.
Ninety-seven points were not enough to win the league last season, so Liverpool raised the bar even higher and broke City’s spirit in the process. City will be back next season, and I’m already salivating at the prospect of that title race, but for now let’s consider one piece of hardcore statistical goodness: in the last two seasons, there has been a 48-point swing between City and Liverpool.
No team has ever won the English league as emphatically as this. They haven’t had a blip, never mind a full-blown slip. Liverpool have sprinted the marathon, dropping only seven points all season and winning the title with a staggering seven games remaining. You don’t need me to tell you that this is 18.421052631 per cent of the season.
Liverpool’s triumph brooks not a solitary argument. They are everything you could want in a football team. An irresistible mixture of skill, speed and aggression; a group of players with an almost demented refusal to accept a draw, never mind defeat. They are a team in the image of their coach, Jurgen Klopp, the kind of man for whom even the most indolent Everton fan would run to the ends of the earth. Or at least try for a couple of hundred yards before giving up and going home. It’s the thought that counts. Look, they wouldn’t have done it for Roy Hodgson or even Gerard Houllier.
For most of the 2010s we talked about Guardiola or Mourinho, but at this rate Klopp will blindside them both and establish himself as the greatest manager of his generation. He’s a grinning, cackling, gegenpressing, official replica baseball cap-wearing genius.
We’ll have plenty of coverage of Liverpool’s triumph in the next few minutes, hours and days. Let’s start with Andy Hunter’s report on the news that, yes, it really, really, really did happen. Liverpool are Premier League champions!
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