Wild scenes on epic day in England football as Liverpool, Leeds lift trophies
English football fans ignored police warnings to party their hearts out as Liverpool and Leeds lifted long-awaited championship trophies.
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Liverpool and Leeds fans ignored police warnings by gathering outside their clubs’ grounds to celebrate their league wins.
Reds supporters in Merseyside lit flares and partied as the Liverpool team bus made its way into Anfield.
Cops had told fans to respect social distancing guidelines and celebrate at home amid fears of a new coronavirus spike.
But those messages fell of deaf ears as supporters in the North West kickstarted the night’s celebrations – while those in Leeds did likewise.
Liverpool are celebrating winning their first league title in 30 years while Leeds won the Championship to get back into the Premier League after 16 years.
Liverpool legend Sir Kenny Dalglish and captain Jordan Henderson – who will lift the trophy after the game against Chelsea – had told fans to remain away.
But hundreds turned up to wave flags, blow car horns and sing in the streets around Enfield.
Assistant Chief Constable Natalie Perischine of Merseyside Police had said: “This is such an important night for all Liverpool fans in the city and worldwide, with the Premier League trophy to be lifted inside the stadium.
“The club and TV companies have made careful preparations to ensure that millions of people can enjoy these special moments on screen, in the comfort of their homes.
“On this occasion, the best seat in the house is in your living room. There is simply no benefit to going to the ground and we as a city cannot afford for people to gather in large numbers.
“We are all still in unprecedented times due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the last thing anyone wants is a resurgence of cases in Merseyside, with every life lost a tragedy.
“The last thing anyone wants is for all Merseyside’s patience and selflessness to unravel and for lockdown measures to be reintroduced, as we have seen in other areas.”
But nothing was going to stop these jubilant fans from celebrating so close to their heroes.
Liverpool fans were treated to a goalfest against Chelsea as they capped a stellar season with a 5-3 victory.
Leeds also did the business, thumping Charlton 4-0.
There were a series of other crucial fixtures in both the premiership and championship.
West Ham held Manchester United to a 1-1 draw to secure its place in the EPL for next season.
The Red Devils’ point — coupled with Chelsea’s defeat — saw them move into third place. The Champions League awaits next season if they can at least draw with Leicester in the final game of the season on Monday morning.
In the championship, a point against QPR was enough for West Brom to secure promotion to the EPL ahead of Brentford, which lost to Barnsley and will now compete in the playoffs with Fulham, Cardiff and Swansea.
Wigan, Charlton and Hull were relegated to League One.
— with The Sun
Originally published as Wild scenes on epic day in England football as Liverpool, Leeds lift trophies