Cars and taxis were ready on Wednesday evening. Every time the defense of Arsenal cracked, Crystal Palace is every time with disaster, half of an upcoming city was ready as a sprinter in the Olympic 100m final.
The destination they were waiting for was Anfield and, unlike five years ago, there would have been no discomfort for the masses to go to Liverpool's house. They have waited to throw a party and really embrace the feeling of what it means to be champions.
It is easy to forget how extraordinary the world was the last time that Liverpool won the title. While the Coronavirus Pandemie raged through the country in the spring of 2020, there were a season in which Jurgen Klopp's side had won 27 of their first 29 games that were zero-and-leeg.
Others demanded that the campaign had confirmed a footnote when the season restarted, that Liverpool should become known as the Asterisk Champions. Klopp, with time in his hands, had become a sincere reader in his spare time and this Barb left him adjacent to volcanic.
“I had to go Google” Asterisk ” – I only knew the word of a strip!” he said. 'This is the most difficult season to become champions. 100 percent. It is a interrupted season, as never happened before. The one who will be champions, it will be historical because it is a year that we will never forget. '
He was right about that, but it was not forgotten because the atmosphere around the situation was surreal. On the one hand there was an outpouring of joy – Klopp went viral when a video of him danced in Formby Golf Club, where Liverpool had settled himself, was placed on social media.
Dejan Lovren meanwhile went a little step further. Without the knowledge of his teammates in the night that Manchester City lost 2-1 in Chelsea, the Croatian left the base, wrapped itself in a hat, sunglasses and protective mask and ran next to delicious unknowingly party celebrities outside of Anfield.
Lovren was overcome by emotion and wanted to get a appreciation of what supporters felt. He shouldn't have done it – he admitted that he had left the club – but with strict guidelines for social distance, nor the thousands of others who were that night.
There was happiness, but just as clumsiness. What should you do if you have seen someone you knew? You couldn't hug them, you could not shake hands or exchange high five. Every natural instinct was suppressed and those supporters of rival clubs released their anger.
The Nadir was the next evening when the Pierhoofd, the center of the iconic waterfront of the city, was left in a shameful state by partygoers, some of whom found it funny to spread red torches at the liver buildings, the offices of Everton were housed. It wasn't funny, not long.
This moment had been in the making for 30 years, but it was the equivalent of winning a Ferrari and lifting the hood to find a 1000cc Fiat engine. The sporting achievement was excellent-that was one of the great Liverpool parties of all time but even the players knew something was wrong.
“I had feelings of guilt,” wrote Jordan Henderson, the captain, in his autobiography. 'I wanted the fans to be there and I felt cheated for them, but I also felt cheated. The experience to win this prize that the club had pursued so long would not be the same without them.
'I had to remind myself how happy we were just to play. You have people die, people stay in the house for months in a row and I am disappointed because the fans are not there and the atmosphere is not better? Come on. You feel bad about thinking.
'But Liverpool fans were obsessed with football and they had waited 30 years to win a competition title and for them not to be there to share it with the players was difficult. It was difficult for the players and the fans because it meant so much. '
Perhaps this is the framework why Sunday – assuming they get the point that they need an unpredictable side of Tottenham – will be so different. This time, with the stadium full on the edge and dripping with color, it will finally feel it.