Liverpool

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"I couldn't believe it then and I still can't believe it now!"

Jamie Carragher laughs as he recalls Liverpool winning the 2005 Champions League final against AC Milan in Istanbul.

Reflecting on a final for the ages, Carragher told BBC Radio Merseyside what it was like to be part of the team that came back from three goals down to beat the Italian giants on penalties.

"We were a defensively strong team but after conceding a goal in the first minute the game plan goes out of the window," he said. "I don't think the team Rafael Benitez selected helped with that because we were far too open. He tried to put more offensive players on the pitch but that blew up in our face.

"Coming off at half-time, I remember thinking 'I don't want this to be five or six nil. I had no thought in my head that we could come back from it and lift the trophy. I don't think anyone in the dressing room did.

"What we wanted to do was stop it from being embarrassing and remembering this final for all of the wrong reasons.

"Most of us were shocked by what happened in the first-half and I don't remember us screaming or shouting at each other. I think we just knew what we were up against and that they had been too good for us.

"After Steven Gerrard scored we thought 'well the score line doesn't look too bad now,' but when it went to 3-2 you could sense the feeling was changing. AC Milan fans were getting more nervous and I felt like we could get the third goal because the momentum was with us.

"You could feel the energy in the crowd to go forward again and then Xabi Alonso scored.

"We hung on in extra-time. I had cramp and we were all getting tired, but we knew what was at stake and penalties would be a lottery.

"I can picture the lads' faces when we won and we were running from the line. I couldn't believe it then and I still can't believe it now!

"Everyone was just in sheer disbelief. I was very lucky to be part of it."

Listen to the full interview on BBC Sounds

Josh Sexton
Fan writer

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"History is only the base for us, but you're not allowed to carry around your big history with you in a backpack."

Jurgen Klopp's words from his unveiling as the new Liverpool manager in 2015 still resonate with me to this day. The club had just celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Reds' famous win over AC Milan in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul and this weekend we celebrate the 20th anniversary.

I was nine years old when Liverpool completed that miraculous comeback, but it was still a special night for me for so many reasons.

The watershed moment for me had been the 2003 Worthington Cup final and being able to stick it to every Manchester United fan I went to school with. Yet fresh off the back of the heartbreak of seeing Gerard Houllier depart and Michael Owen leave for Real Madrid, I wasn't overly ready to embrace new ideas and find new love.

I'd be lying if I said that the 2004-05 iteration of the Reds had completely captured my imagination. We'd gone from a Ballon d'Or winner to a couple of lads I didn't especially recognise and there wasn't tons of inspiration elsewhere around the pitch for a nine-year-old looking purely for footballing vibes at that stage.

AC Milan, by contrast, had vibes and football heritage in abundance. As their superstars cut swathes through Liverpool in that first 45 minutes, the idea of yet another football heartbreak so early in my career as a supporter completely overwhelmed me to tears. My brother, who was slightly longer in the tooth, had a similar reaction. My mum tried to reassure us that all hope was not lost.

'What does she know,' we agreed… We all know what happened next.

Those scenes caused my brother and I to go from despair upstairs to dancing on the dinner table. It was the greatest night of our lives to that point.

Luckily for us, Liverpool have since managed to add a couple more life-affirming moments to an already-rich tapestry. The symbolism of this weekend's anniversary and being able to see the Premier League trophy lifted by our captain in the flesh will not be lost on me.

A club using its history as a base but not carrying it round in their backpacks will experience yet another full circle moment.

And we're never gonna stop.

Find more from Josh Sexton at The Anfield Wrap, external

Liverpool's famous Champions League win in Istanbul took place 20 years ago this weekend.

The Reds will lift the Premier League title on 25 May, the same date on which they came back from three goals down to overcome AC Milan in Turkey in 2005.

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With the 2024-25 Premier League season coming to a close, we would love to hear what you think of this club page.

A huge thank you to those who have already submitted their responses and have interacted with the page in any capacity throughout the campaign.

We are continuously working to improve your experience and bring you the best possible content and coverage of your team.

It is your club and your voice.

So what do you like?

And what could be improved?

Send thoughts here

We asked you to pick your player of the season after our Liverpool fan contributor narrowed it down to Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

Here are some of your comments on your selection, as well as some other names thrown into the ring:

Linda: Salah, for me, is an ideal player who children can aspire to be. He is humble but confident, gifted and generous. He is extremely hard working for the team and leads by example. He and Van Dijk are neck and neck as far as those qualities are measured or observed but Salah's goals and assists have made the difference this season. You can tell he is loving his football!

Tracy: Virgil is the captain, anchorman and voice of the Reds, encouraging and strengthening his team's skill and ability in every game. An outstanding player and player of the season.

Robert: Diaz. Work-rate. Attitude. Skill. Unselfish. Team player.

John: Why did Liverpool win the Premier League this season? Salah's goals and assists were huge, as was Van Djik's leadership, but the real engine of the win was the midfield. So, for me, the decision for POTY is between Mac Allister and Gravenberch. A tough choice but in the end I went for Gravenberch. In every Liverpool game I watched this season, he stood out - always impacting the game in and out of possession. The best holding midfielder in the league and possibly in Europe.

Dax: Van Dijk to thank for maintaining his status as the best defender in the league. His leadership on the pitch relaying to the rest of the team everything his manager tells him is unmatched. Solid at the back, devastating going forward, doesn't waste a pass. A phenomenal conductor from the back.

Fraser: This is hard. Honestly, all four of them deserve it. But I'm going to have to go with Salah. Salah has had arguably his best season for Liverpool. Sure, he's dropped off in the past two months, but his goal and assist contribution throughout the season was key for us winning the league. Immense playmaker and dedicated to the club. Without Salah we would not have had made it.

David: Mac has laid is body on the line throughout the season, receiving some horrible challenges. Also has scored some timely and great goals.

Ken: The list could've started and ended at Mohamed Salah and nobody would've complained. The Egyptian King was a man on a mission and scaled new heights to wrestle the title back to Anfield to further cement his status as an all-time Liverpool and top division great.

Don't forget to make your selection here

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Liverpool have lost just one of their past 15 Premier League games against Crystal Palace (W12 D2), though it was in this fixture last season.

Palace's past four Premier League wins against Liverpool have come at Anfield, winning 1-0 last season.

When finishing the season at home, the Premier League champions have won their final match on 13 out of the last 14 occasions. The only exception was Manchester United losing against West Ham in 2006-07.

Palace have won on just one of the 12 occasions their final top-flight match of the season has been away from home, beating Manchester City 3-2 in 1972-73.

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BBC sports editor Dan Roan has sat down with Liverpool head coach Arne Slot to discuss all things from the Reds' title win to partying in Ibiza.

Watch the extended interview on BBC iPlayer

Jordan Chamberlain
Fan writer

We asked our Liverpool fan contributor for their four candidates for player of the season and you can now select your top one.

Mohamed Salah

Most goals, most assists and the most goal contributions in a Premier League season - ever. Salah has been unrivalled among the division's forwards. Liverpool wouldn't have won the title without him - and renewing his contract was absolutely vital to the club's chances of more silverware next term.

Virgil van Dijk

The best centre-back of all time, in my eyes. Who else is stronger? Who else reads the game better? Who else is better in the air? Who can pass the ball into the path of an onrushing attacker so effortlessly? If it wasn't for Salah collecting all the gongs, Van Dijk could well be this season's Premier League player of the year full stop.

Alexis Mac Allister

Effortless in possession and clever out of it. The Argentine goes under the radar but has been exceptional for Liverpool. He links the team and is the one midfielder capable of incisive central passes. He makes up his complete lack of pace by being positionally exceptional. Liverpool arguably need more creativity in midfield next season, but Mac Allister will still be one of the first names on the teamsheet.

Ryan Gravenberch

Gravenberch's breakthrough season is likely to have saved Liverpool £100m. After all, we were crying out for a midfield anchor last summer, but Arne Slot chose to use the Dutchman - who was more thought of as a number eight - and was rewarded for his bravery. Gravenberch is unbelievably slick on the half-turn and his first half of the campaign in particular was spectacular. He dropped off post-Christmas, but only because he has been run into the ground.

Pick your 2024-25 Liverpool player of the season from our shortlist here

And tell us why you're picking who you are, or why you'd have gone for another player not on the list, here

Find more from Jordan Chamberlain at Empire of the Kop, external

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist

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There was plenty to get stuck into when it came to Liverpool boss Arne Slot's news conference earlier on as, apart from Trent Alexander-Arnold, he also discussed Luis Diaz and whether the Reds can add to this season's Premier League title.

On Diaz, Slot was asked about Barcelona sporting director Deco saying the Spanish club "like" the Colombia winger.

After double-checking Deco had made those remarks, the Dutchman said: "Every club has its own way of doing things. You are used to the fact that I don't talk about players from other clubs that we haven't signed.

"I understand he is a big admirer of Lucho Diaz - because I am a big admirer of him as well. He is a great player, having a great season.

"He [Deco] admires a few players, which we all do. I admire Lamine Yamal and Raphinha a lot as well!"

Liverpool legend Alan Hansen will present Reds captain Virgil van Dijk with the Premier League trophy after the game against Crystal Palace at Anfield on Sunday.

Hansen won eight league titles, three as captain, with the Anfield club so what does Slot think about his side claiming more top-flight crowns?

"I think we have a lot to compete next season again but what I don't know yet - and that's going to be the interesting one - is if we have this elite mentality, this serial winner mentality of showing up season after season," he said.

"I will get the answer on 8 July when we come back together to see in what shape the players are."

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Former Liverpool midfielder Ray Houghton had to "bide" his time when he joined the club but once he had the shirt on, he was not giving it up easily.

Houghton is now often seen as the final piece of the jigsaw in Kenny Dalglish's historic Liverpool side of the 1987-88 season that steamrollered their way to the First Division title.

"We were very focused that season," he told BBC Radio Merseyside. "The winning mentality is one thing I learned when I came to the club.

"I hadn't won as much as those players already there, but when you're around players who know how to win you get used to it.

"I had to bide my time but when you have that shirt it is up to you to then keep it. Back then, once a manager had found a winning formula, it would take a lot for them to change it.

"One season, I think Liverpool only used 14 players and that just would not happen now. There wasn't the depth that we are so used to seeing now."

Listen to Houghton recall the glory under Daglish on BBC Sounds

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot revealed in Friday's news conference that he had a conversation with Trent Alexander-Arnold in pre-season about his work ethic in training.

Slot, who arrived at Anfield last summer, has been guarded in recent months when talking about the right-back. However, but ahead of the final game of the season and Alexander-Arnold's anticipated but unconfirmed switch to Spain, Slot joked: "He is going to leave either way, so why not tell you!"

"Maybe it is already the first gift I can give [prospective Real Madrid boss] Xabi Alonso," Slot laughed. "I wasn't completely happy with every single minute he was on the training ground. In certain moments, he could do a bit more – to say it mildly. That's what we talked about.

"I said to him you're a much better defender than everyone tells you but unfortunately you don't show it all the time. This is why some people say this is part of the game you need to improve.

"If you are focused and concentrated, there are not many players that can go around him because he is fast, agile and has a great mentality. But it is about showing that every single game."

He did, however, go on to say Alexander-Arnold "deserves" to be at Anfield for the title celebrations on Sunday despite the criticism he has received from some sections of the fanbase after announcing his departure.

"For a fan, these players are all professionals, but for me as a manger they are not only a player but a human being," Slot said. "This should be the day everyone is going to enjoy. Liverpool fans have been waiting for this moment.

"He [Alexander-Arnold] definitely deserves to be there as well because he has been part of the incredibly successful years at the club."

England manager Thomas Tuchel has announced his squad for the World Cup qualifier against Andorra (7 June) and friendly against Senegal (10 June).

Manchester City's Phil Foden, Newcastle's Tino Livramento and West Ham's Jarrod Bowen all miss out, but Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White and Chelsea duo Noni Madueke and Trevoh Chalobah have been selected.

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has been speaking to the media before Sunday's final Premier League game of the season against Crystal Palace (kick-off 16:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• He said "if there was ever the chance" for Mohamed Salah to win the Ballon d'Or "then it would be this season". Slot added Salah "has had very, very good seasons at Liverpool but this one probably stands out in numbers."

• On his feelings ahead of lifting the Premier League trophy: "Proud sums it up the most because after working here for a year I know now had hard it is [to win the league]. It has been 38 games in a period where the league has never been so strong."

• He said he has not decided whether Trent Alexander-Arnold will get game time but the full-back has earned the right to celebrate with his team-mates: "He definitely deserves to be there because he has been a part of the incredibly successful years at the club."

• In response to whether he has spoken to Alexander-Arnold about criticism he has faced for his decision to leave Liverpool this summer: "I speak to the human being every day. Combined with winning something together, it creates a different bond to what the fans may have with him."

• However, Slot did reveal he spoke to Alexander-Arnold in pre-season about his work ethic: "I wasn't completely happy with every single minute he was on the training ground. In certain moments he could do a bit more – to say it mildly. That's what we talked about."

• More on that subject: "I said to him you're a much better defender than everyone tells you, but unfortunately you don't show it all the time. This is why some people say this is part of the game you need to improve."

• Slot is hopeful Joe Gomez "can make some minutes" against Crystal Palace, in what will be his 150th appearance for the club.

• On avoiding closing the season with a defeat after losing at Brighton on Monday: "We need to do a few things better but I think we have still done a lot of good things in the ast three games. Usually we don't concede eight goals in three games. That's not our standard throughout the whole season."

• On his expectations for next season: "We have a lot to compete next season again, but what I don't know yet is if we have this elite serial winner mentality to show up season after season. I will get the answer on 8 July when we come back together. Many teams have won the Premier League once but not for many seasons in a row."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live radio commentary of Liverpool vs Crystal Palace on Sunday from 16:00 on Radio 5 Sports Extra

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Liverpool boss Arne Slot say it is has now "sunk in" that they are Premier League champions.

The Reds wrapped up the title with four games remaining when they beat Tottenham 5-1 on 27 April.

Despite form dropping off since the win, it has still been an impressive debut season for the Dutchman - who only took over from Jurgen Klopp in the summer.

"The moment the referee blew his whistle, we were like: 'Wow, this has really happened', but now, after all the celebrations, it's definitely sunk in," Slot told BBC sports editor Dan Roan.

"It's an achievement that we hoped for, that we worked really hard for. But, to say we expected it, or I expected it, would be a bit too much."

Given the dominance Manchester City had exerted over recent years - having won four Premier Leagues in a row - not many expected Slot to bring such early success.

"Before I came in, before I started to work with the players, I thought similar to the club, that we had to qualify for the Champions League again," he said.

"There are a lot of things you have to find out [when you start]. But that the quality was there to do something special this season? That I knew quite fast. Not only the quality, but definitely also the mentality.

"I didn't have to repair any confidence because a few of [the players] had already won the league, a few had won the Champions League, one of them was a World Cup winner - [Alexis] Mac Allister.

"So the players that play at this level know they can win trophies and one of them is the Premier League."

Hear more from Slot's chat with BBC sports editor Dan Roan

Watch on BBC iPlayer

Mandeep Sanghera
BBC Sport journalist

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There will be a party atmosphere at Anfield on Sunday and it will not only be the Liverpool fans that are celebrating.

Crystal Palace will be the visitors for the final game of this campaign and the Eagles will also be in joyful mood having won this season's FA Cup to claim the club's first major trophy.

In a dress rehearsal for next season's traditional curtain raiser of the Community Shield, the match might be seen as the starter for the festivities to follow.

From Liverpool's point of view, they will get to lift the Premier League trophy in front of their own fans after the game on Sunday, in contrast to the previous time they won the Premier League in 2020 when the trophy ceremony was at a near-empty Anfield because of the Covid pandemic.

The Reds will then have a bus parade on Monday as they mark winning a record-equalling 20th top-flight title in manager Arne Slot's first season in charge.

Slot will be talking to the media at about 09:00 BST this morning and we will find out how he is feeling before the celebrations and what his thoughts are as the season comes to an end.