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Liverpool’s first game as Premier League champions ended in a 3-1 loss against Chelsea.
Kopites who made the trip to west London on a Bank Holiday weekend must have wondered whether Anfield’s resident DJ had been hired for the occasion.
Those who travelled to the capital were already in high spirits. As they should have been. They were about to watch the new Premier League champions for the first time. A four-week fiesta ensued from the moment they left Merseyside.
And as the away fans began to pile into Chelsea’s stadium and adorned their designated area with banners and balloons toasting a 20th English title, the music being played only added to the occasion. One Kiss by Dua Lipa, the anthem now synonymous with Liverpool winning trophies, blared through the Stamford Bridge speakers. Not long after that, Three Little Birds by Bob Marley and the Wailers came through the speakers.
If Reds supporters were already as buoyant as they could have been, hearing those two tunes added to the occasion. There were Liverpool songs throughout the encounter, toasting the success of winning the silverware and serenading the players who achieved it. A 3-1 defeat could not even quell the spirits. As the final pockets of fans made their way out of the ground, the chant of ‘Champions’ was bellowed and the party continued onto the concourses before leaving the ground.
The fact that Arne Slot made six changes perhaps underlined his intentions for the rest of the season. The Liverpool head coach suggested that there would only be certain rotation but he tweaked more than half of his outfield players. The lack of coherence during the game was understandable to an extent. They were facing a Chelsea outfit who are still gunning for Champions League qualification and took full advantage.
But there will still be disappointment. Slot will rue the fact that Liverpool mustered just two shots on target - one being the header scored by Virgil van Dijk. He felt that the Reds could well go on to take the momentum and produce a nail-biting finish although that did not prove to be the case. Slot and his Liverpool captain van Dijk concurred that they lacked intensity.
Perhaps there were too many changes. Harvey Elliott couldn’t get into the game and Jarell Quansah, making his first start at centre-back since Ipswich Town on the opening day, had a second half to forget. Mo Salah, pursuing the most goal contributions in a single Premier League season, was well below his best and Diogo Jota continues to look rusty despite being fit for several months.
But supporters travelling back up the M6 will not have cared too much. They will still have been in fine voice heralding the title winners. And if Liverpool did need a jolt that they cannot coast through the final few games then they were given one.
Arsenal visit Anfield on Sunday and there will be an expectation to deliver a triumph. Gunners followers have already tried to chide and disparage the Reds’ feat. They claim the injuries Mikel Arteta’s side have suffered have had an impact on the title race.
Slot will also want to prove that Liverpool are the deserved top dogs. While the Dutchman believes the Reds cannot be judged as they were en route to claiming the title, he will still feel that there is something to prove. And those who make their way to Anfield will be just as vociferous and fervent as those who made their way to Stamford Bridge.
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