LIVERPOOL (AFP) – Liverpool was crowned Premier League champions on Thursday as Chelsea’s win over Manchester City ended the Reds’ 30-year wait to win the English title, with jubilant fans ignoring social-distancing guidelines to converge on Anfield.
Jurgen Klopp’s men sealed a 19th league title with a record seven games remaining after defeat for second-placed City left the champions for the past two seasons 23 points adrift.
Liverpool, who was tantalizingly close to glory when the coronavirus forced the shutdown of English football in March, demolished Crystal Palace, 4-0, home ground of Anfield on Wednesday to stand on the brink of the title.
City needed to win at Stamford Bridge to keep the Premier League alive but slipped to a 2-1 defeat.
Liverpool tweeted “We’re Premier League champions!!” seconds after the final whistle while Manchester City tweeted their congratulations.
“It’s such a big moment, I am completely overwhelmed,” an emotional Klopp told Sky Sports. “Tonight it is for you out there.
“It’s incredible. I hope you stay at home, or go in front of your house if you want, but not more. We do it together in this moment and it is a joy to do it for you.”
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson hailed Klopp’s transformational impact on the club.
“We followed him and believed him,” he said. “It’s been an amazing journey. I’m hoping there is more. We just keep hungry, keep wanting more and following him.
“The biggest thing is no matter what, we all follow him, believe in him and he’s taken us to this point.”
Thousands of Liverpool fans, many in face masks, streamed towards Anfield despite restrictions still in place due to COVID-19.
They lit flares and sang songs. Cars also gathered outside the ground, with some beeping horns as they passed.
Liverpool have clinched the title earlier than any other Premier League champions, breaking the previous record of five games left shared by City and Manchester United.
But it has been an agonising wait for Liverpool fans across the world, with the coronavirus lockdown forcing them to put the champagne on ice.
Videos on social media showed many of Liverpool’s players watching the Chelsea match together at a hotel.
“We won’t tell you the exact location but we are all in a hotel together as a team,” Liverpool star Andrew Robertson told the BBC.
