Trent Alexander-Arnold failed to hold back the tears after bringing the curtain down on his Liverpool career.
The England international’s future is expected to be confirmed in the coming days when he will put the finishing touches to his free transfer to Real Madrid.
Alexnader-Arnold’s decision to leave his boyhood club has proved to be a divisive one, culminating in the mixed reception he received on his last Anfield appearance against Arsenal earlier this month.
Arne Slot took the right-back out of the firing line against Crystal Palace on Sunday, but an injury to Conor Bradley provided the Liverpool manager with an opportunity to hand Alexander-Arnold a final opportunity to play in front of his home fans.
Perhaps stung by the critical words of former manager Jurgen Klopp, who himself returned to Anfield for the first time since his own emotional exit 12 months ago, Alexander-Arnold was afforded a much more positive reception as the Reds played out a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.
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After playing a full part in the trophy presentation and bathing in the adulation of the Kop, Liverpool’s No.66 was interviewed by his former teammate Daniel Sturridge.
‘I didn’t know what to expect stepiing out at Anfield today after what had happened a few weeks ago but I wanted to play for the club one more time,’ he said.
‘I said that to the manager and he trusted me to go in there after half-time. To get the reception I got means more than anything to me I’ve played hundreds of games for the club but I’ve never felt so loved and cared for today.
‘From the bottom of my heart I hope one day the fans and supporters of this club will be able to recognise the hard work and everything that I’ve done for the team.
‘There wasn’t a day, a minute, a second I didn’t think about the team from six years old to 26 now, 20 years is a very, very long time but I’ve loved every minute, the ups and the downs. It’s been an honour and a privilege to be part of this club’
While Alexander-Arnold is now part of Liverpool’s past, attention will centre on the future and the transfer business his soon to be former club will conduct in the summer.
Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz are both expected to arrive from Bayer Leverkusen to strengthen an already powerful squad while a deal for goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili was finalised last summer.
‘I don’t know if it’s going to be a lot but we know, the club, Richard [Hughes], the ownership, we are all aligned on what we are trying to achieve,’ said Slot.
‘It is already ,very very positive that we kept Mo and Virgil and a few others that we are trying to sign look positive.
‘We are very happy with the squad that we have. This club has always shown that if they can strengthen, that’s what we do. Big summer or not, it is already big because we won the league.’