I went to Liverpool FC's Anfield homecoming after winning the English Premier League, and the place was a ghost town
Barnaby Lane
- On Sunday, Liverpool played its first home match since becoming Premier League champions.
- Insider travelled to Anfield to capture what we thought might be raucous celebrations, but instead the area was ghost town with very few fans present.
- See photos below of the day, including some of the stunning artwork on display around the ground.
On Sunday, Liverpool played its first home match since becoming Premier League champions.
Second half goals from Sadio Mane and youngster Curtis Jones secured a historic, albeit hard fought, 2-0 win over relegation threatened Aston Villa, moving it a step closer towards the division's points record.
After 30 years of pain, the Reds might have expected a homecoming like no other.
Sadly it wasn't to be, with coronavirus closing the ground to fans.
As Insider found out on Sunday, rarely a soul was to be seen around Anfield as heavy police presence ensured there no was to be no repeat of the raucous celebrations seen at the stadium two weeks ago.
Thousands flocked to Anfield on the evening of June 25 following Chelsea's 2-1 win over Manchester City which ensured Jurgen Klopp's men could no longer be caught, setting off flares and fireworks, climbing up walls, and failing to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Klopp condemned the celebrations in an open letter to the club's fans, saying: "We owe it to the most vulnerable in our community, to the health workers who have given so much and whom we have applauded and to the police and local authorities who help us as a club not to do this.
"Please - celebrate - but celebrate in a safe way and in private settings, whereby we do not risk spreading this awful disease further in our community."
Supporters, for the most part, heeded the German's message, with a little help from the authorities.
READ MORE ARTICLES ON
Popular Right Now
Advertisement