Liverpool celebrate Premier League success with fans in city centre parade

Virgil van Dijk conducted the crowd while billionaire owner John W Henry sipped from a bottle of Carlsberg as Liverpool celebrated winning the Premier League with an estimated million fans on the city’s streets.

Red smoke cannisters were let off as the team’s open-top bus – emblazoned with the words ‘Ours. Again’ – crawled its way through the heaving mass of supporters who defied the rain to celebrate a record-equalling 20th championship.

They and the club had been denied this occasion when they ended a 30-year drought in 2020 due to coronavirus restrictions but they made up for the missed opportunity on a dank day by the Mersey.

The 10-mile long parade took three-and-a-half hours but the finale on the Strand was worth the wait for those who had gathered in the shadow of the Liver Building before 10am to ensure a prime spot.

Liverpool City Councillor John Hughes estimated in excess of one million people were attending, beating the 750,000 present for the 2019 Champions League parade.

Hundreds ignored police advice not to climb on structures – or adhere to the ‘no pyro’ request – as every vantage point, ranging from multi-storey car parks, scaffolding, rooftops, on top of petrol stations, traffic lights and lamp posts, was taken.

Head coach Arne Slot said it was the best day of his career. “By far the number one, far more than you could expect or dream of maybe,” he said.

“I won a few things before but this cannot compare with anything.”

It began at Allerton Maze in a relatively calm environment with Henry, in dark glasses and dressed in a red hoodie and poncho to keep out the rain, availing himself of the refreshments aboard the bus early on.

The players were taking Van Dijk’s advice to make sure they enjoyed the moment,