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Liverpool’s Anfield admitted 2,000 fans onto the field for Sunday’s game against Wolves
Few football experiences can arouse emotions more than hearing ‘You will never walk alone’ sung by Kop of Anfield.
Sunday night at roughly 19:13 GMT provided one of those lumpy throat moments.
This was not the first game in England to welcome fans to the stadiums. He was only number 27 on a list that, except for drivers, started at Carlisle United on Wednesday.
But when the opening bars of Gerry and the Pacemakers who are always intertwined with Liverpool Football Club were heard through the public address system, it felt symbolic.
Two hundred and seventy-one days since it was last sung at this stadium, in a Champions League tie against Atlético de Madrid at the start of the pandemic, 2,000 Liverpool fans sang it with enthusiasm before the game with the Wolves.
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“He had goose bumps,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said after the 4-0 win.
“I had no idea what to expect from the warm-up or when they started ‘You will never walk alone.’ To have all of that without a soccer game would have been great. After 10 months it was very emotional.”
Liverpool players were able to applaud the fans with the final whistle for the first time in nine months
There were 50,000 more people here that night of March 11, when Atlético pulled Klopp’s team out of Europe, but it didn’t seem like there was that much difference in numbers.
Those lucky enough to get a ticket to the Lobos’ visit on a ticket that inevitably had a massive over-registration made as much noise as they could, arms raised holding up those familiar red and white scarves.
“I wanted to cry with joy when I found out I had succeeded,” said Amanda, a key Liverpool worker who came to the pitch early and waited patiently for her spot to enter.
“It felt like the first game I’ve ever been to.”
She was not alone. Some fans I spoke to beforehand said the same thing.
Klopp, who has a close relationship with Liverpool supporters and reached out to them after the final whistle to deliver his usual celebratory punch after the win, agreed.
“I understand, 100%,” he said.
‘We were afraid it could be null’
A lot has happened in the intervening period. Liverpool ended their 30-year wait for the title to begin.
“That was so difficult,” Amanda said. “I had a second row seat at the Kop for what would have been the last game. It was horrible. We thought the season could be canceled so we agreed not to be there, but it was difficult.”
Klopp has promised a bus parade “when the time is right.” Meanwhile, little things remind fans of Liverpool’s epic 2019-20 season, as well as hinting that more ‘normal’ times are returning.
It was the first match Liverpool fans saw their team play like champions.
At a beer kiosk in the main grandstand, which was closed despite a small percentage of ticketed fans sitting in that section, a drawing showing Liverpool’s 44 top trophies has evidently been updated since June.
You now have the old Football League Championship trophy alongside the Premier League equivalent, with the number 19 below both.
As teams prepared to exit the tunnel, “Bring on the champions” was sung. That new chorus, which Liverpool fans can now sing for the first time in two decades, was mixed with familiar chants of ‘Liverpool, Liverpool’ and ‘Ole, Ole, Ole’ as the game settled into an equally familiar pattern. .
Mo Salah, who scored the opening goal, surely also felt everyone present as if it was a case of business getting back to normal, and so was the sound of Wolves captain Conor Coady, despite being a former Liverpool player and with a strong accent to start receiving end of a bit of vitriol for a ‘dive’ that deserved a penalty that was finally annulled.
Would have seen Everton tonight … actually, maybe Tranmere
Provided no injuries come to light in the post-match report, Klopp called it “a perfect night.” It was easy to understand why he felt that.
A good shot from Georginio Wijnaldum made it 2-0, a header from Joel Matip added a third and an own goal from Nelson Semedo emphatically took care of a Wolves side that completely missed Raúl Jiménez.
Klopp was visibly excited when he spoke about the return of the fans after Sunday’s game.
Jordan Henderson was able to acknowledge the appreciation of the fans when he was substituted nine minutes from the end of Liverpool’s biggest win over the Wolves since 1968.
Stadium announcer George Sephton, who has seen and heard it all at Anfield over the decades, said at halftime “I’ve never heard so much discussion from 2,000 people in my life, well done” and at the full time he signed with “Keep safe, we’ll see you back very soon.”
“Hopefully we can take advantage of this,” Klopp said. “It’s like the people who invented the vaccine. It’s not ready for everyone yet, but it’s something to look forward to.”
Amid the jubilation to be back at Anfield, there was also some reflection.
Everyone I spoke to was here that night against Atlético. They all mentioned conversations that took place before the game with friends or colleagues wondering what the hell they were doing.
“Had a pint with some guys beforehand,” said John Edge, another local fan. “It didn’t cross my mind at the time, but in hindsight, it was crazy to let so many people come from Madrid when it was at its peak there.”
Graham Stewart agreed: “I was with four Liverpool fans who came from Spain. I didn’t feel good in any way.”
Stewart was in Finland for Liverpool’s return to European competition in 1991 after his six-year ban.
“That was a strange experience,” he said. “It felt a bit like tonight, a historic match for Liverpool.”
The lucky ones to be here won’t be back for a while. Even though the ballot was only open to fans living in the Liverpool region, there are a few batches of 2,000 to pass before anyone gets a second chance.
But after six months without football, that didn’t really matter. Anything would have been acceptable tonight. Almost.
“I would have seen Everton tonight,” Amanda said, before a quick rethink. “Well, maybe Tranmere.”
- Did you miss Saturday’s Premier League action? All goals and highlights are broadcast now
Source: bbc.com
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