AT LAST, WE CAN ALL SHARE THE JOY

Why today means so much to Reds fans after the anti-climax of 2020 win

- by RYAN PATON

THERE is a buzz around Anfield as Liverpool FC fans today prepare for something they haven’t experienced in a generation.

When legendary captain Alan Hansen casually lifted the football league trophy over his head in 1990, it was simply business as usual.

A roar from The Kop greeted a familiar sight as the Scot held the silverware for a matter of seconds, before he quickly passed it on to one of his teammates.

There was no need to savour the moment because, as Bill Shankly famously said, the league title was Liverpool's bread and butter, and it wouldn't be too long before the trophy returned to L4.

Nobody could have envisioned the quest for 19 would turn into Liverpool’s white whale and Hansen would be long retired from his successful post-playing career as a pundit before the Reds’ crown was reclaimed. However, we all know how this moment wasn’t what it was supposed to be, as the coronavirus pandemic cruelly robbed Jurgen Klopp’s 2020 title winners of the chance to lift the league championship in front of fans.

The lost opportunity of five years ago has contributed to the sense of occasion today, as Reds fans will be eager to right the wrongs of 2020 and finally, after 35 long years, bask in the glory of being together in the ground to witness Liverpool lift the league.

If the scenes after Tottenham last month are anything to go by, then this afternoon’s match against Crystal Palace will be another special party that shows exactly why this sport goes far beyond 22 players kicking a ball around a pitch. Football is a bond that ties people together and this is why the Beautiful Game resonates so much and prompts an outpouring of emotion like nothing else.