The power of sport to unite

I had the absolute joy of being invited by one of my sons to Wembley yesterday and experiencing a thrilling game and Liverpool winning the Carabao Cup against Chelsea who were tough and determined opponents. The night before, whilst chatting in the pub, most friends said to me 'well of course Liverpool FC will win'. I asked - will? This is football, anything can happen! But everyone seemed certain of the result.

What perhaps others didn’t know was that Liverpool FC had 11 players on the side-lines. Amongst them were superstars like Salah, Nunez, Jota, Alison and Alexander Arnold to name a few. Liverpool also suffered a serious setback when Ryan Gravenbech was stretchered off in the 27th minute. He had been awesome in mid-field!

So imagine, your opponents are at full strength with a bench of heavy weights and they haven’t won a trophy since 2021. They want this trophy! And a Liverpool team - still in four cup tournaments - playing more football and alot more ahead, carrying so many injuries. Watching on - the pace was so high you could see, as the match went from 90 minutes at 0-0 into extra time, how tired the players were. They had given it their all.

I wanted to share this experience with you for three reasons. I don’t get to go to many big games. A Wembley Cup final with almost 90,000 attendees, pretty much 50:50 between the two teams is something else. But there were some real moments that struck me.

First - the power of the crowd, the fans…The Liverpool fans did not let up, belting out one anthem after another. There was one moment in extra time that I particularly enjoyed. We all started singing Allez, Allez, Allez - Go, Go. Go. It's normally the anthem of the European Cups - but is very up tempo and the chorus gets repeated. It almost felt like the song was lifting the weight from the players legs and they upped their pace in response to the crowd. That’s really how it felt to me. You can find the lyrics below. (one word or two words changed).

Second, Klopp’s Kids. Klopp fielded the most teenagers in a league cup final for 17 years - with Danns 18 years of age and Clark and McConnell at 19 years. Indeed Jayden Dannsat 18 years and 40 days became the youngest player to appear in a Liverpool League Cup Final. This, alongside Klopp having a starting line up with three under 21s! Honestly - it was a joy to watch their talent, composure and passion.

As Klopp retires at the end of the season. There is a legacy…young talent, performing at the ultimate level. There was a standout statesman on the field- Captain Virgil Van Dijk. To watch him on TV is impressive, but to see him perform in the stadium - the calmness, authority, precision - like a magician. And leadership. After 23 shots at goal, it was Van Dijk who came off his defensive line and scored (after an earlier goal he put in had been disallowed). What a role model for the younger team members.

Thirdly, Klopp. In my opinion the man is infectiously likeable. But to hear grown men and women belting out the tune to The Beatles ‘I feel fine' on a repeat cycle shows the power of being supported. Even when the team is tired and weakened, the importance of leadership and the unexpected joy when those of less experience surprise and delight by what they are capable of.

“I'm so glad that Jurgen is a Red.

I'm so glad he delivered what he said.

Jurgen said to me, you know. We'll win the Premier League, you know. He said so.

I'm in love with him and I feel fine.

I'm in love with him and I feel fine.”

I truly appreciate sharing such an experience with my son. It was a Mum’s dream and I came away with wonderful memories and a better understanding of the power of sport to unite. One down, three to go!

Lyrics to Allez, Allez, Allez

We conquered all of Europe, And we will never stop, from Paris on to Turkey, We've won the ‘flippin’ lot!

Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly, The Fields of Anfield Road, We are the supporters, We come from Liverpool!

Allez, allez, allez! Allez, allez, allez! Allez, allez, allez! Allez, allez, allez!

Liverpool electrician Jamie Webster came up with this football chant at the 2018 UEFA Champions League final, inspired by an Italian Disco classic. The first verse namechecks Liverpool FC's European Cup wins in Paris (1979) and Istanbul, Turkey (2005), and two of their legendary managers, Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley.