Liverpool won the Premier League title in convincing fashion by beating Spurs by five goals to one at the weekend, with Gary Neville making a swift exit after being on commentary duty for Sky Sports.
“There is no point in me coming down here again,” Neville had said pre-match when asked if he would be joining Jamie Redknapp and Daniel Sturridge on the pitch at the final whistle. “I think the Liverpool fans probably won’t let me get out of the commentary box!”
As it turns out, though, Neville was able to make a quick move out of the gantry. In new footage released by Liverpool’s official channels that shows LFCTV commentator Steve Hunter and Reds legend John Aldridge celebrating wildly, Neville can be seen making a quick exit just as the title party began.
As the Liverpool players danced around and Anfield erupted, Neville didn’t fancy sticking around to join in the party. Instead, he made a move at speed for the exit.
On the field, every Liverpool player had their name sung and Arne Slot made a short speech on the PA system in which he thanked Jurgen Klopp, mirroring what his predecessor had done for him just over a year ago. Then, after the fans had gone, the Reds stars continued to party inside Anfield with their families.
“After the game, I walked into the stadium and just sat in the stand to feel like a fan and I don’t have words to describe what I felt,” Ibrahima Konate said.
“I said to my brother, ‘I want to see how it is to sit in the stand if I watch a game’. I tried to act like a fan, but the stadium was empty. I just wanted to enjoy the moment on my own.
“We won it with 60,000 fans and us on the pitch. I just wanted to feel something different. I was close to crying. It’s crazy, unbelievable, and we have to really enjoy it.”
Liverpool has four more games remaining this season but the results are now academic. The Reds could reach 94 points in total, though, if they win each of their final matches, which would be a very strong tally that has only been beaten five times, including twice by Jurgen Klopp’s edition of the side.
Learn more
“The last day of the season will be more special as we will lift the trophy,” Konate continued. “But it’s amazing after four seasons [with Liverpool] I did it, finally.
“The first thing is, we are in the best league in the world and we know how hard it is to win the Premier League every season. Since I was young, I watched this league every week, every game, and now to win it is crazy. I’m the first French player from Liverpool to lift it. Unbelievable.”
Liverpool.com says: Neville being at Anfield and Jamie Carragher being absent… who would have thought it would be that way around? As the mayhem began to unfold in L4, it would have been easy to sneak out unnoticed.
For the first time, no one left in the minutes leading up to the final whistle as the moment that Liverpool was confirmed as champion edged closer. The scenes that followed the game will live long in the memory for all those who were present.
