MONDAY, the morning after the day before. People in red shirts milling around the city centre, still following Virgil van Dijk’s orders as if alongside him in the Liverpool defensive line, but more hungover. Hungover from elation as much as anything else.

It was actually more of a suggestion than an order from Van Dijk: “I would just encourage everyone that comes to Anfield for the remaining games of the season to wear red,” the Liverpool captain said last month, but it worked.

On Sunday, Liverpool defeated Tottenham Hotspur 5-1. A celebratory scoreline to match the celebratory atmosphere.

In addition to red attire, red smoke billowed from where Anfield sits, visible from the sand-dunes to the north, from the Wirral peninsula to the west, and the city centre to the south. 

The smoke signals confirmed that the champions had been elected, and something special was about to happen.

Some blue found its way mischievously into the mix due to an Everton fan putting red labels on a batch of blue flares and selling them ahead of the game. It added to the occasion in a football city that houses its two top-flight teams so closely.

The trees and terraced housing that line the perimeter of the Main Stand area, which was redeveloped around eight years ago, provided a backdrop for the imagery of this celebration.

A new Anfield Road stand contains fan zones pre-match for sing-alongs and photo mementoes. 

It had all been building up to this, in some ways literally.

The old ground, restored as part of a rebuilding process across the club under the ownership of Fenway Sports Group, was the site of a pilgrimage on a sunny Sunday of celebration.

Fans lined the streets and filled surrounding public houses. Many had come just to experience the atmosphere surrounding the game outside the stadium, offering a preview of what the Premier League trophy parade will look like in Liverpool on May 26.

Overhead images showed a sea of red outside Anfield before kickoff. From behind the curtain of smoke came the coach carrying the Liverpool players and staff, soon to be confirmed as Premier League champions.

The celebrations began even before the game kicked off. Any caution had been thrown to the wind. Liverpool manager Arne Slot remained professional before kick-off, acknowledging that a point still needed to be won. But fans could finally celebrate.

The origin of these celebrations dates back to when Liverpool last won the league title in 2020. Fans did their best to celebrate that win, which broke Liverpool’s 30-year league-title drought, but, occurring during a Covid-19 lockdown as it did, those moments were somewhat stifled and isolated. 

All the celebration plans that would have happened had that 2020 win occurred in normal circumstances could now be put into place and carried out en masse.

Going into this game against Spurs, Liverpool had topped the Premier League since November 2 2024, but still needed a point to ensure this would last until the end of the season and to confirm the title as theirs. 

There was an expectation around the place. A knowledge that this was the right time and place to toast a title win, and that the win would duly come.

Spurs, in their current state, were ideal opponents for Liverpool in this situation. The north Londoners have been struggling in the league, and were now focused on a Europa League semi-final, looking to the continent to salvage something from their season.

The first goal of the game was scored in the 12th minute by Spurs’ former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke, but it didn’t seem to change the feeling inside and outside of Anfield.

This confidence was well-founded as, within the next 12 minutes, Liverpool were in front after Luis Diaz equalised and Alexis Mac Allister scored their second.

Goals from Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah, and an own goal from Destiny Udogie meant there were plenty of individual moments for Liverpool fans to celebrate throughout the game, alongside the bigger picture of the league title.

“You see what's happening here [at Anfield], even before the game, and that tells you more than I can describe,” Slot said after the game. 

“Five years ago, they won the league — an amazing accomplishment — but fans weren’t there, so you could feel how important it was for them to be here.”

Slot also acknowledged the work of his predecessor, Jurgen Klopp, in this title win, but the Dutchman himself and his coaching staff should take great credit. 

They took a team that was close to winning the title last season before falling away and finishing third, and turned it into a team, without adding new players, that could get over the line with four games to spare.

When making a speech following his last game at the end of the 2023/24 season, Klopp sang the name of incoming manager, Slot, to the tune of his own song. When making a speech following Sunday’s title win, Slot sang Klopp’s name to the same tune.

The story was complete, a narrative written in a way only sport can write them, but Slot and Liverpool will hope this is just the beginning of their story.

Before looking ahead, though, there are four games left in Liverpool’s season and a league title to be celebrated further. 

There will be a trophy presentation after the final game against Crystal Palace on May 25, and a parade in the city the day after. Sunday’s scenes were a preview of what’s to come this month, but were also memorable in their own right.

“Chairman Mao has never seen a greater show of red strength,” was how Bill Shankly described the welcome the Liverpool players received when returning to the city after losing to Arsenal in the 1971 FA Cup final. This month’s show might be even greater.