Neil Atkinson’s post-match review for The Anfield Wrap after Liverpool 1 Crystal Palace 1 in the 2024-2025 Premier League season…
NEEDED more than wanted. Wanted for all time.
I’ve seen and been surrounded by people for whom it was everything. All we could hope for, all we could crave.
A game of football happened and then, then, then…
They lifted the league title. Our league title. Ours. Yours. Ours.
Ours. Thank you.
—
Mo Salah gets the Golden Boot. Mo Salah’s face was defining in the May of 2022. Let his face be defining in 2025.
Mo Salah gets the playmaker of the year award. Mo Salah’s face was defining in the May of 2022. Let his face be defining in 2025.
Look at him. Look at what he has done. Look at how he has won his club this league. Look at him – the greatest living Liverpudlian. Walk around him. The best of us.
—
The game.
By the end of the game, the Champions are down to 10 men, Ryan Gravenberch had moved to centre back and then been sent off, Liverpool have five forwards on the pitch and this has become the crazy game we all thought the last game of the season had the capacity to be. If anything, it was a surprise there weren’t more goals.
The Champions are playing the cup winners, and both teams are more than capable of letting them in and banging them in, at this point in the season.
Liverpool let a goal in early, before 10 minutes are up, after losing possession in an unfortunate area. How many times have we done that this season? Too many times. We are too slow for much of the first half. Something to sort.
It’s not a well-organised Liverpool side. Slot is ringing the changes and we miss Alexis Mac Allister. Apart from the mistake that leads to the goal we look solid at the back, we just lack creativity.
The first-half passes without a rock-solid chance for Liverpool. There are lots of nearly moments, and Cody Gakpo swerves and charges in all the right places, but without end product. Mo Salah is Mo Salah. Amazing, but drawing on every defender in the place. We don’t make enough use of the resulting space down the left flank.
At half time, the manager makes a change. Whether on purpose or not, George doesn’t announce him. Trent Alexander-Arnold is brought on in place of Conor Bradley. Make of this what you will, today there are gentle cheers and applause. He makes a difference, able to sweep the ball into the sweet spot, left and right.
In the end, in the second half, we manage to kick their door down. In the end, we get the equaliser. I love that we want the winner. That’s the spirit. That’s the Champions.
—
Crystal Palace’s contingent have never sung about poverty, never sung about slums and they were worthy winners of the FA Cup. They were a credit to themselves in a way we should all always try to be. The job is loving your club and loving the game. At least three quarters of them stayed for the trophy lift because of the latter. Earlier in the week they’d had a parade for the former. What a week they got to have.
They are a good side. Full of determination and speed and cleverness. I hope they keep the main lads this summer – no word of a lie, I hope they win the Europa League. They at least have four brilliant away days on the continent to come and each and everyone of them will be a credit to them once again. When we go down there next year we need to find a way to do something lovely for them. No messing.
Part of what has brought Liverpool to the party has been appreciating and respecting the opposition. This is the hardest league in the world because of the quality through the division. Crystal Palace are a good side, a side that has shown so much quality all year, a side that has had a deserved parade.
—
Parade. Tomorrow will be a show of Liverpudlian strength to go around the globe. It will be a sight to behold and something the world will see and the world should never be allowed to forget. It will be our day to take the world’s gaze and my god will we be worthy of their attention. This will be our exceptionality writ large. Never mind Mo Salah, walk around us.
My city, our city, is a mess of contradictions and isn’t perfect. Last year people burned a library down. A fucking library. I lie awake and I can’t forget it. I can’t forgive it. A fucking library.
I say “people” because I won’t use a pejorative. If we want to be an “us” we need to accept that it can’t be all positive, we need to acknowledge a reality of not being perfect – far from it. We’re working our shit out alongside everyone else.
We need to work. Fucking work. Never rest.
Let’s be clear – what has brought Liverpool to this literal party in every way has been being global. Being international. Crossing every boundary going. The only thing that has made sense on and off the pitch has been the parable of the talents. Liverpool Football Club is better when it involves the marvellousness of the people of the Liverpool.
The city of Liverpool is at its best when it allows anyone to throw its lot in with it. All the best Scousers come from outside. You can take that to the bank.
But the club and city only excel when we say to the world that this can be all of ours, altogether. That the thing and the whole of the thing, that the golden sky, the sweet silver song of the lark has to be global, has to be an us which goes beyond any number in Anfield but which every number in Anfield represents.
It’s an interdependent world. And it is our world. We just have to cherish and want it enough. The best Liverpool always was global and always will be.
—
And there is Alan Hansen. Alan Hansen and Virgil van Dijk in front of The Kop. Having a chat. Two Liverpool legends. Two greats. I grew up watching Alan Hansen and I thought he was a superhero. I think he still is. I know Virgil van Dijk is.
But Virgil van Dijk loves the goalkeeper. Loves Alisson Becker. Puts him centre of attention because he loves and understands leadership. Leading this football club is hard. It isn’t for everyone. But it is for that centre back. He is the most special person and he deserves all the moments.
I know he is my favourite and I know I have 11 favourites.
To quote Steve Graves – my favourites are the 11 who wear red.
They are the men who did the job.
—-
I want to write more this summer. Therefore, I hope it will keep coming. But this doesn’t change the fact that these are the last words of this season. From me to you.
Firstly, it didn’t come from nowhere. The Champions got 82 points last season including two away games at the end where they knocked off and drew. It should have been 86.
But that wouldn’t have mattered to England’s Punditry Class. They’d decided that the price of being Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool was collapsing in the aftermath. Ignoring the injury crisis. Ignoring the man himself. Ignoring Unai Emery, Eddie Howe and Roberto De Zerbi. Let alone Bob Paisley.
Secondly, I have to thank everyone who contributes to what we do. I ought to do it every week, to be honest. This includes – indeed should emphasise – everyone you don’t see or hear. They know who they are and they help tell the story of supporting Liverpool from the heart of the city every day. Every day. We’re always here and my job is to ensure we always will be. With these people, I’ll manage it.
Regardless, we have a community and we carry and adore all of our contributors at all stages.
Thirdly, it is all about and for you. None of it makes sense any other way. And the kindness you have towards us is endlessly appreciated; never taken for granted. You show us care all the time. And care intensified is love. I think I might have mentioned that before.
Enjoy the summer, sitting in trees, smiling at passers by. Enjoy the summer, at shows, at cricket, at tennis. Enjoy the summer, that moment by the pool or the seaside and you remember Alan Hansen and Virgil van Dijk, Mo Salah’s brilliance, Mac Allister against Spurs or Nuñez against Brentford and you think “Champions”. Enjoy it. Love it. Cherish it.
We made this city.
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