1 week Ago By [email protected] (Paul Gorst, Neil Docking)
The moment referee Thomas Bramall blew his whistle and Dominik Szoboszlai nudged the ball from the centre circle, marking 0:01 on the Anfield scoreboard, . . A generation of fans - those who couldn't fully celebrate the club's title victory five years ago - finally got to live out a dream that has spanned 35 years - and .
This was their day. With a month still left in the season, these will be their weeks. And with peppered with , these could very well be their years.
Skipper Virgil van Dijk had urged for Anfield to be awash with colour for the big day, a call that was answered in abundance. The Kop was a as a particularly poignant rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone set the stage, reports . In reality, the match itself was secondary; merely .
But for a Liverpool team needing just one point to seal their status, they couldn't have asked for a more obliging opponent than a Hotspur side distracted by a Europa League semi-final. The home team tore through their opponents, racking up a total of 11 goals in just two league matches this season. While the record books will show a 5-1 finish, the real story is far more impressive and significant.
Dominic Solanke threw an early curveball with his close-range header from James Maddison's corner, but the hosts were determined to make this a memorable day. And they did. After Dominik Szoboszlai set up Luis Diaz for the equaliser, it was Alexis Mac Allister who fired off another spectacular goal to put them ahead 2-1.
Cody Gakpo then netted his 17th goal of the season just after the half-hour mark with a beautiful finish, finding space inside the area from a partially cleared corner. Mohamed Salah scored his 33rd goal of the season in the second half, cutting inside a weak challenge from Destiny Udogie before shooting low for a 4-1 lead. as fans sang about winning the league, perfectly capturing the celebratory atmosphere of the day.
, forcing Udogie to score an own goal from Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross. By this point, the match had taken on the feel of a pre-season testimonial, and the outcome had long been decided. Liverpool have once again claimed the title of champions of England, and this time there's no room for any unfounded asterisk titles or claims of subpar competition.
They've simply outshone all other teams in the country under Slot's leadership, with no need for any disclaimers. Immense credit must also be given to those who work behind the scenes, both at the AXA Training Centre and in the Boston boardrooms of Fenway Sports Group. Individuals like Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes; Mike Gordon and Billy Hogan, who across all departments, have transformed Liverpool Football Club into a modern-day superclub.
This is exactly how it should look: the strategic thinking of the brightest minds and a 'best in class' ethos permeating every area. A nod must also go to , whose efforts to build a squad capable of winning English football's biggest prize deserve recognition. The former Reds boss ensured he left the club in a strong position when he made the difficult decision to step down last year.
The team he handed over to Slot was so formidable that his successor felt virtually no changes were needed. It was Klopp who set the tone at this venue 11 months ago when he rallied the fans to support Slot without any doubts or fears, briefly but memorably taking on the role of cheerleader on the pitch on the last day of the previous season. It was fitting then that Slot returned the favour at full time, singing the same song in tribute to the man he now joins as a winner.
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You'll receive an email with all of the top football stories. You can also sign up for our sport email, Off the Ball, for all the latest darts, boxing, snooker, F1 stories and more, And yes, due respect also needs to be given to the inner circle of FSG for their foresight to restructure and recruit following Klopp's shocking announcement in November 2023. The American owners didn't panic in the aftermath but instead took their time to methodically rebuild a world-class football operations team that now has the club poised to dominate with Slot leading the charge.
But it is the head coach who deserves the majority of the credit. Slot might squirm as the praise pours in, but his understated yet confident approach to the biggest job of his career has empowered and improved the right players at the perfect time. From the get-go, it's been a masterclass in man-management and coaching.
In less than a year, the 46-year-old joins the ranks of managerial greats at Anfield and the embrace he received from John W Henry and the rest of his Fenway bosses after the match was well earned. He now stands on the brink of achieving iconic status. They represent the creme de la creme of Slot's team; a side that embodies the Liverpool ethos, securing the championship title with characteristic flair, albeit a tad earlier than expected, in April.
Furthermore, with both Liverpool and their arch-rivals boasting 20 league titles apiece, the pendulum of history has swung decisively in favour of the Reds once again. The summer's biggest celebration has officially kicked off, and it's going to take a while to subside. All that remains is to bask in the euphoria of the coming weeks, for it may be quite some time before we're treated to anything quite like this again.
One of Bill Shankly's most astute observations was that the league title is Liverpool Football Club's lifeblood - their "bread and butter", as he so aptly put it. It's high time, then, to tuck into the springtime banquet. Pass it on.
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