Liverpool have powered their method to a record-equalling twentieth English title, having fun with their Premier League coronation at Anfield with a 5-1 hammering of Tottenham which solely shoved Ange Postecoglou ever nearer to the Spurs exit door.
In entrance of their very own Anfield disciples on Sunday, Arne Slot’s Liverpool overcame the early impolite shock of a Spurs purpose from Dominic Solanke to pulverise the hapless guests on their irresistible march to glory.
First-half strikes from Luis Díaz, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo put them in management, earlier than get together time actually started after the break when Mohamed Salah, inevitably, acquired in on the act with a fourth earlier than grabbing a cellphone from a fan within the Kop and treating him to a selfie.
When Future Udogie’s personal purpose accomplished Spurs’ distress, it felt just like the worst potential method for Postecoglou to take his aspect into battle of their Europa League semi-final first leg at house to Norwegian outfit Bodo/Glimt on Thursday.
The consensus stays that Spurs should win the second-string European competitors or Postecoglou will get fired, however dismal performances just like the one served up at Anfield – Tottenham’s nineteenth defeat of the season as they lie in sixteenth place – could imply he’s doomed any which method.
Postecoglou gave his triumphant counterpart Slot congratulations on their title triumph even earlier than the ultimate whistle had blown because the Liverpool devoted celebrated their first title since 2020 and their twentieth in all, equalling the file of their lethal rivals Manchester United.
It was a monumental achievement by supervisor Slot, who had the seemingly unenviable process of succeeding the vastly profitable and fashionable Jurgen Klopp in the summertime.
After the match, he joined within the chants saluting his predecessor for having smoothed his path to taking on, explaining later: “It’s due to what he did earlier than I even arrived right here – I feel that’s one thing not one supervisor ever did earlier than.
“That undoubtedly helped me however, aside from that, Jurgen helped me much more by the workforce he left behind and the tradition he left behind in that workforce.
“It’s at all times particular to win one thing. It’s much more particular in the event you’re the primary one, and much more particular at a membership the place it’s not widespread that you simply win the league yearly.”
Slot is the primary Dutch supervisor to win within the Premier League period and the fifth man to triumph a debut marketing campaign after Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, Manuel Pellegrini and Antonio Conte.
Earlier than that period started, Liverpool bosses Joe Fagan (1983-84) and Kenny Dalglish (1985-86) had additionally received on the first time of asking.
Slot, astonishingly, additionally achieved the feat with a month of the season remaining, with Liverpool now 15 factors away from Arsenal with 4 rounds left after being prime of the desk daily since November 2.
Remarkably, it was the primary time in 35 years that the followers at Anfield had been capable of take pleasure in witnessing the title being received at their well-known previous fortress.
Throughout their final win underneath Klopp 5 years in the past, the season completed behind closed doorways due to the COVID lockdown restrictions.
However this time, probably the most emotional of renditions of “You’ll By no means Stroll Alone” from the 60,415 crowd rang across the third Liverpool cathedral.
“That is method higher, one hundred pc,” Salah stated. “It feels extra particular with the followers. You’ve got a unique group now, a unique supervisor. To indicate you’ll be able to do it once more is one thing particular.”
It would all have been laborious to listen to for Manchester United followers, who earlier within the afternoon had watched their workforce scrape a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth via a Rasmus Hojlund purpose in added time.
They’d been heading in the right direction to lose for a sixteenth time within the league this season after Antoine Semenyo’s first-half strike, however the sending off of Evanilson for a lunge on Noussair Mazraoui within the seventieth minute helped United’s salvage mission.
