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Some football clubs are more than just teams. Some function as a cash-cow for their owners while some are funded by oil money. There are very few clubs in the world that function as a family, with the players, fans, owners, and all the partners associated with it working in one direction.
Liverpool Football Club, one of the world’s most successful clubs, perfectly embodies this spirit. Their motto You’ll Never Walk Alone holds true for not just their supporters, but also the players, owners, as well as the partners – a welcome sight in this day and age of oil-rich clubs and divided loyalties.
Since the Premier League era began in 1992, Liverpool may not have won the league title, but their global appeal and fan following has been second to none. It’s not that the club hasn’t had its share of successes, which it has seen plenty of in the last two and a half decades.
A historic treble was sealed in the 2000-01 season when the Reds lifted the League Cup, FA Cup, as well as the UEFA Cup. The 2005-06 season saw the Merseysiders win the European Super Cup before sealing a dramatic FA Cup at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff.
The 2006 FA Cup final is dubbed as the Steven Gerrard final as he won Liverpool the title almost single-handedly, assisting the first goal and scoring the other two. The Englishman even scored in the penalty shoot-out to help the Reds win their seventh FA Cup.
With the goal in the FA Cup final, Gerrard became the only player to score in the UEFA Cup, FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League Finals!
However, the greatest moment in the glorious history of the club was definitely the legendary Champions League final in Istanbul in 2005. The Reds looked down and out by half-time, trailing the mighty Milan by 3 goals. The team’s spirit and the sheer will brought on by the support and the players resulted in Liverpool staging a stunning comeback, scoring 3 goals in 6 minutes. They eventually won the match 3-2 on penalties to complete the greatest comeback in the history of the Champions League.
Despite a couple of trophies coming their way, there have been a few heartbreaks in the league while Milan also got their revenge on Liverpool in the 2007 Champions League final.
Coming back to the present, this is a promising time to be connected to Liverpool. Jurgen Klopp is leading the Reds’ resurgence through sustained and planned rebuilding, which has brought the club to the cusp of glory in the last 3 years of his stewardship.
This season, however, seems like the hunt for silverware will finally come to an end. They might have just fallen short of the league title by just 1 point, but their Champions League fate is in their hands as they meet Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid on 1st June in the final
The most positive story for the Reds in a long time was the annihilation of Barcelona at Anfield this week. Liverpool looked like they were knocked out after losing 3-0 at the Camp Nou despite a spirited performance, a week ago.
They needed to not only score 4 goals or more at home, they also had to keep Messi & co. quiet as any goal by Barcelona would have meant curtains for Liverpool’s Champions League campaign. The task was made even tougher due to the absence of 2 of their star players, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, through injury.
However, that’s when Liverpool shine – when the chips are down and the tide against them, they rise like a Phoenix from the ashes to soar high to glory! The club’s history is littered with stories of Liverpool staging impossible comebacks, but this was possibly the greatest night at Anfield.
Divock Origi, playing in the absence of Firmino, gave them the lead in the 7th minute to spark hope. Barcelona, however, contained the Reds for the rest of the half, and had chances of their own, but the Liverpool backline stood firm.
Half-time brought another setback to Liverpool as high-flying left-back Andy Robertson limped off due to injury and Gini Wijnaldum was brought in to replace him, thereby shifting James Milner to left-back - something the club needs to break EPL Transfer News Headlines for, if they wish to build upon their successful run this season. This change in personnel and tactics worked wonders as the Dutchman scored twice in 3 minutes to level the score on aggregate before half-time.
Ironically, both of Wijnaldum’s goals came in the 54th and 56th minutes, the same time as the first two goals Liverpool scored against Milan in 2005. The game was on a knife’s edge as a Barcelona goal would have meant Liverpool needing to score 2 goals while a Liverpool goal would have got them through.
The crucial breakthrough came in favour of the home team and through a smart play by Scouser Trent Alexander-Arnold. After winning a corner in the 79th, the 20-year-old caught the Barcelona defence off-guard by playing in a quick corner. Only Origi was aware of the smart play by the youngster as the Barca keeper and defenders were busy setting themselves up to defend the corner.
Alexander-Arnold whizzed a low cross into the box for the waiting Belgian to put the ball into the top corner and send the Liverpool fans into delirium as they led Barcelona 4-3 on aggregate. The final 10 minutes were uneventful as the club booked their spot in the Champions League final for the second season in a row.
The scenes at the final whistle were a sight to behold as it showed the unity between the players and the supporters. They sang together and reveled in the atmosphere for nearly an hour to celebrate, possibly, the greatest night at Anfield.
What has remained constant throughout the Reds has been the loyalty and the family-esque feel around Liverpool. It’s not just the fans, but also Carlsberg’s support for Liverpool that has stood the test of time, establishing the longest association in football – since 1992.
Carlsberg has seen all the ups and downs that Liverpool has endured over the last 26+ years and been a constant partner of the Merseyside club. To celebrate the 26-year anniversary, they’ve even gone ‘All Red’ for the Reds.
They’ve brewed an All Red beer specially for Liverpool fans to celebrate the club’s association with Red and the long-standing association. The limited-edition beer - named Red Barley – was launched at Anfield ahead of Liverpool FC’s Premier League match with Huddersfield Town on Friday 26 April before being shared with Liverpool fans across the world.
With this move, Carlsberg has ensured that Liverpool’s slogan, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, is embodied by not just the supporters or the players of the club, but also the sponsors!
