The banner in the Kop borrowed from the words Virgil van Dijk used when signing his new contract. “It was always Liverpool,” it read. And over a season, it was. Even on a day when they briefly trailed, it was always going to be Liverpool. This was a coronation rather than a contest, the culmination of a wonderful debut season for Arne Slot.
The chants of “we’re going to win the league” were scarcely bold predictions but became factually accurate when Thomas Bramall blew the final whistle, when the substituted players spilled on to the pitch, when Arne Slot and his staff bounced around in a group hug, when Mohamed Salah took selfies with the Kop, Dominik Szoboszlai hung off the crossbar and jubilation engulfed Liverpool.
