The sun had just set over Anfield — and on a 30-year wait to be champions of England again — when the fireworks started to explode into the twilight.
A signal went out across Merseyside. The drought was finally over for Liverpool.
At first there were just a dozen supporters who watching on phones and listening on radios outside this hallowed stadium. They were soon surrounded by a sea of thousands snaking from the entrance to the Kop past the The Albert Pub to the Hillsborough memorial.
And as darkness eventually engulfed Liverpool’s home on this mid-summer’s evening, a red haze of smoke began to light the skies.
Waving flares and flags, Liverpool’s faithful found a way to share this moment together on Thursday, even in a pandemic. It’s hard to stay apart when a three-decade mission has been accomplished, even though the crowning moment came without Liverpool players being on the field.
