28 January 2024 , 17:08
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During an even more emotional rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone than normal, Jurgen Klopp stared blankly into the space in front of him.
When, about a minute later, three-quarters of the stadium reminded him - for the first of many times on this Sunday afternoon - they were glad he is a red, there was no acknowledgement from the man himself. In fact, the man himself did not seem quite himself … until something happened in the 16th minute that brought out one of football’s most famous smiles.
It was not Curtis Jones’ textbook header, as pleasing as it was. It was not just that Liverpool had taken an early lead.
It was the assist - a cultured, curling pass that demanded Jones’s routine aerial finish - that produced the trademark Klopp grin. It was the assist that came from James McConnell, a teenage midfielder making his full debut.
The joy on Klopp’s face showed that moment meant the world to him. It was a moment that will not be on the final showreel after Klopp’s last game as Liverpool manager.
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But it was the sort of moment Klopp treasures - a moment when he helps a young man fulfil his dream, a moment when he launches that young man’s Liverpool career. And guess what? Twelve minutes later, that megawatt smile was again piercing a grey afternoon.
This time, it was 20-year-old Conor Bradley delighting Klopp by presenting Darwin Nunez with a second Liverpool goal soon after Ben Gibson had equalised. Bradley was making only his fifth full start for the club - and it will be the fifth of many judging by performances such as this one.
Jurgen Klopp shows appreciation to fans prior to the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Liverpool and Norwich City (Clive Brunskill)There is plenty Klopp will miss when he wanders back home this summer - the triumphs, the fans, Anfield itself, the ranting at fourth officials, the glory, the camaraderie. But he will also miss watching players grow into the Liverpool jersey.
Klopp is leaving the club in more than decent shape, that is for sure, and perhaps that is why the sadness at his impending departure is balanced by optimism. Ahead of, during, and after game one of a four-month farewell tour, there were no pleas or banners asking Klopp to stay.
Fans took selfies in front of a Klopp mural, there were those renditions of the Klopp song, there were banners emblazoned with his name, but that has been the case on every Anfield match day for a serious number of years. When the final scene on this fabled stage is played out, it will get emotional but supporters know that one man is not - and never has been - bigger than the club.
But he has restored this club’s unfailing belief in itself - the belief that it is one of the very best in the world - and re-established the near-impregnability of Anfield. And if there were any bizarre suggestions that Klopp’s announcement might even have a negative effect on performance, they were officially trashed by this casual demolition of David Wagner’s Championship side.
This rebuilt side will be a joy for whoever steps into Klopp’s shoes, Diogo Jota’s strike and headers from Virgil van Dijk and Ryan Gravenberch further proof of the goalscoring armoury at Liverpool’s disposal in the absence of Mohamed Salah. And while Salah will not be returning to action for some time, Klopp got minutes into the legs of Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the second half of this entertaining contest.
There is every chance those two will start against Chelsea when Mauricio Pochettino ’s team comes to town on Wednesday.
Liverpool fans display a Jurgen Klopp banner during the Emirates FA Cup Fourth Round match between Liverpool and Norwich City (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista)As Klopp tried valiantly to insist ahead of kick-off against Norwich, it will be business as usual until the day comes to say goodbye. Business as usual, of course, means taking the acclaim of the Kop at the final whistle, which - again to the accompaniment of that adapted Beatles number - he did.
But there were no fist-bumps this time, just thankful applause from Klopp. Applause for the fans’ support during this match, applause for their support over eight or so years, applause for their encouragement of the younger players making their way in the game.
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Klopp loved that, Klopp will miss that.