Inside Anfield celebrations as emotional Liverpool fans prepare to party into the night

Liverpool fans will party into the night after watching their side clinch a historic victory and become title winners again. Arne Slot's side thrashed 5-1 at home in a thrilling match which secured their unbeatable 15-point lead to win the crown at home for the first time in 35 years.

fans had been robbed of proper celebrations when they won the league five years ago during Covid lockdown in July 2020. But the skies over Merseyside turned red with smoke flares and flags as an army of 120,000 fans descended on Anfield on Sunday.

Pubs around the ground were so packed to the rafters that fans peered through the windows to catch a glimpse of the game. As the final whistle blew, 61,000 fans erupted inside Anfield while crowds on the street outside danced to chants of 'When the Reds go marching in'.

For lifelong fan Andy Grant, 36, it was the first time he had seen his side claim Premier League victory on home soil. Reacting to the win, he said: "It's crazy, I've had so many amazing days following this football team, amazing nights in Europe and at Wembley, but we've never actually had a day like today which is insane.

"I'm 36 and I've never come to a Premier League match thinking we are going to win the league so it just feels crazy. I would have been devastated if we had won it midweek by default, it was the first time this season I was cheering on .

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"It's extra special. My dad took me to my first match when I was eight in 1996, we beat FC Sion, to be able to stand on the Kop today and watch us win the league feels like a full circle moment. It's such an emotional day. I've got some drinks at my sister's house and I think everyone is just going to stay around the grounds partying all night."

But fellow fans Jan Ashton and Paula Rose said they were 'old enough' to remember watching Kenny Dalglish's side lift the trophy at Anfield in 1990. Jan, 64, said: "We can properly enjoy it this time, it was curtailed the last time we won the league, we could only celebrate with our lockdown bubble. The celebrations tonight will be tenfold what they were in 2020."

Talking of their celebration plans, Paula said: "We'll be drinking, we're going to do a tour of all the pubs round here and then stagger home.

"Some people haven't seen this in their lifetimes. We're old, we have seen Liverpool win the Premier League at home back in 89-90. And my niece and nephew were the mascots that day. We've won 13 titles in our lifetime but this is a very exciting day because our children will finally be able to see it."

As fans spilled out into the streets, the sound of vuvuzelas and car horns could be heard across the city as revellers clambered onto rooftops and lampposts to fly their flags.

Danny Claeys, manager of The Sandon pub on Anfield's doorstep said: "Honestly, it's been absolutely manic. Last time we couldn't celebrate as much due to the pandemic and Scousers love celebrating, so there isn't much more you could ask for than to win it at home.

"I've always supported Liverpool, but the fans make it for me. The Sandon has been here for years now and we've never had any issues because everyone's coming with the same mentality of just coming for the love of football and Liverpool."

Down the road, bosses at the Phoenix Hotel were hosting fans from all over the , with bookings from as far as and Singapore.

"Our market research says the city is expecting north of 120,000 people to be in and around the stadium on matchday," said James Winters, the hotel's director. "We are needing to drive extra staff in and be as efficient as possible to cope with the increase and keep the crowd happy and celebrating.

"From a business perspective it'll be great to see a lot of people from different backgrounds and nationalities coming to sample what the football club has done for the city," he added. We've seen bookings from as far as Australia, Singapore, and the middle east, so it will be great for the city to show what it has on offer."

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