FA Cup winners Crystal Palace played spoiler to Liverpool’s title party, earning a 1-1 draw at Anfield on a night filled with emotion, celebration, and farewells.
Despite the result and Ryan Gravenberch’s late red card, the atmosphere remained jubilant, as fans soaked in the moment of witnessing their first trophy lift in front of a home crowd in 35 years.
Mohamed Salah salvaged a point for the champions with an 84th-minute equaliser, his 47th goal involvement of the season, equalling the Premier League record held by Andy Cole (1993-94) and Alan Shearer (1994-95), both of whom achieved the feat in longer 42-game campaigns.
The evening was as much about farewells as it was about silverware.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, emotional in what was likely his final appearance at Anfield before a move to Real Madrid, was re-embraced by supporters after a difficult final season.
The academy graduate, introduced at half-time, provided a signature pinpoint pass to set up Darwin Nunez, whose miss summed up a frustrating campaign that may also end in departure.
Manager Arne Slot threw on five forwards in search of a win, but Palace’s early lead through Ismaila Sarr in the ninth minute held firm until Salah struck late.
The visitors capitalised on a misplaced pass from Conor Bradley, with Tyrick Mitchell sliding Sarr in between Liverpool’s split defence to calmly beat Alisson.
Gravenberch’s sending off—a straight red following a heavy touch and foul on Daichi Kamada—momentarily silenced the party, forcing Slot to reorganise and sacrifice Luis Diaz for Wataru Endo.
Diogo Jota then hit the post before Salah’s composed finish brought Anfield to life once more.
Earlier, a moment of sporting unity saw Palace form a guard of honour for the Premier League champions, who returned the gesture for the FA Cup winners.
The celebrations were accompanied by a star-studded cast: former managers Jürgen Klopp and Rafael Benitez, club legends, Jordan Henderson, and rarely-seen principal owner John W. Henry.
In a symbolic passing of the torch, Alan Hansen—captain the last time Liverpool lifted a league title in front of fans at Anfield, 12,808 days ago—handed the trophy to Virgil van Dijk.
As “You’ll Never Walk Alone” rang out and chants of “Champions” echoed around the stadium, the full-time whistle signalled the end of the match, but the beginning of long-awaited celebrations.
Liverpool clinched the title weeks ago, but this was the moment the Kop had waited for—a triumphant return to the summit, witnessed together at home.
