Liverpool have been fantastic all season football-wise, but the Anfield faithful and the travelling Kop have returned to their very best as of late, with the support being quite breathtaking week in week out. Sunday epitomised that, as the crowds gathered around Anfield Road to welcome the team in and were present from around 11;30am, 2 hours before kick off; a rather incredible effort.
Uruguayan frontman, Luis Suarez, spoke of this last weekend (quotes courtesy of Liverpool Football Club Official Website):
"The atmosphere at Anfield is amazing and when you go out onto the pitch and see that support, it's unbelievable."
"With this support every game, it's like we can't lose here at home. They are so strong for us but even if we lose a game or play badly, they'll continue to help us. For the team and the players, that's unbelievable.”
"In the Premier League, we have two really good teams with ambitions of winning the league - Manchester City and Chelsea," Suarez continued. "But now we know we have a really good chance, especially if we win the game on Sunday.
"We'll play at home, but we'll keep calm, try to keep the ball and take it easy. We'll try to play with no pressure because when you do, it's more difficult for the players."
Three aspects of the atmosphere on Sunday were clear to see and are ideal to identify and talk about. Whether it were overwhelming, surreal or quite emotional, we all felt it. Those three aspects are simple. Before kick off. During the game. And after the final whistle.
The scenes before kick off were outstanding. At Anfield Road hours before, inside the ground during the warm ups, and minutes before the game, with the inevitable 'You'll Never Walk Alone' and the miunute's silence for the 96 fans who never returned from Hillsborough 25 years ago. There was such a buzz, and the ground was electric, ready for the most eagerly anticipated game in years.
The noise created for the goals scored by Raheem Sterling, Martin Skrtel and Philippe Coutinho was a joy to behold. The team felt spurred on and the last 10 minutes was the crucial time when they needed us most, to which we delivered. A football family that have never been so close.
The celebrations after the game was the stand out however. The emotional skipper, the pure relief and pride on the faces of everybody in the ground associated with Liverpool Football Club and that moving, inspirational quick-talk the captain gave to the lads in a huddle on the pitch. There was such a buzz, yet their focus was straight away on the forthcoming week's work to be done, as not getting carried away was key. It showed Gerrard's class, simple as that. It was a time to enjoy, but just another stepping stone, and he wanted to make it absolutely clear that the work was far from done.