The Newcastle icon was discussing the second leg of Liverpool’s stunning 4-0 Champions League semi-final victory over Barcelona at Anfield in 2019. In the opening encounter, ex-Reds star Luis Suarez had netted the opener against Jurgen Klopp’ s men in the 26th minute, followed by a Lionel Messi double that seemed to set Barcelona on a smooth path to the final.
However, the hosts were resolute in leveraging their stronghold of Anfield when the Catalan titans descended upon Merseyside, and the fervour of the fans was instrumental in fuelling one of football’s most memorable comebacks. Divock Origi set the ball rolling for Liverpool just seven minutes into the game, neatly tucking away a close-range rebound from Jordan Henderson’s initial attempt.
Georginio Wijnaldum netted the second goal, charging through the heart of the box to connect with a well-aimed low cross from Trent Alexander-Arnold, before doubling his tally merely two minutes later – this time soaring high to meet a ball delivered by Xherdan Shaqiri from the left flank.
Origi then notched up a double of his own with 79 minutes on the clock, capitalising on Alexander-Arnold’s now-infamous corner where he feigned walking away from the ball before whipping it low and hard into the box’s centre. Origi blasted the ball into the top left corner before breaking into a celebratory run, rounding off a 4-0 victory for Liverpool that propelled them into the Champions League final via a 4-3 aggregate win.
It’s a night that will live long in Shearer’s memory. He was answering questions with Gary Lineker and Micah Richards on a recent episode of The Rest Is Football when a fan queried: “The greatest European night you’ve been involved in, watched live, or on the tele?”
Shearer, who has had his fair share of standout moments in his legendary career, picked the Liverpool game, saying: “I think that’s the best atmosphere I’ve ever witnessed. I mean that night at Anfield… I was lucky enough to be there doing the co-commentary, and I’ve never heard anything like it.
“When they got the first goal, I just thought, ‘they can’t, can they?’ Then they got the second, and I was like, ‘oh my god’. That night at Anfield was amazing.”
The 2019 final pitted two English teams against each other, as Liverpool squared off against Spurs at Atletico Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium, with the Reds emerging as 2-0 victors on the night courtesy of goals from Mohamed Salah and Origi. And Shearer isn’t the only one lauding the influence of Liverpool’s home crowd recently.
Liverpool were held to a gripping 2-2 draw by Fulham at Anfield on Saturday afternoon, with the match turning on its head after Arne Slot’s team was reduced to 10 men just 17 minutes in. The Reds found themselves trailing due to an early strike from Andreas Pereira, and their situation worsened when Andy Robertson received his marching orders for a mis-timed tackle on Harry Wilson.
Cody Gakpo levelled the score for Liverpool after the break, but Rodrigo Muniz later restored Fulham’s lead with only 14 minutes remaining. It was Diogo Jota who came to the rescue, securing a point for Liverpool in the final five minutes – a result that could prove vital in their Premier League title chase given the fierce competition at the summit of the table.
Fulham’s manager Marco Silva acknowledged his team’s difficulties in handling the charged atmosphere at Anfield, despite believing they deserved more from the match. He said: “It’s a mix of feelings. When you are leading the score twice and Liverpool have had 70 minutes playing with 10 men, we have the feeling we should have won the game.
“We have that strange feeling we could have got more. But the power of Liverpool had an impact as well. I am pleased with the performance but to lead twice against 10 men with 70 minutes, we should have taken the three points. The way we started the game, we showed trust in ourselves as well.
“We have massive respect for Liverpool and the quality they have. When you come here, if you try to match them there will be difficulties as it’s emotional (the crowd) and if you are open, the quality they have with the crowd behind them, they can be unstoppable. We started so well and scored, and our dynamic up front created a lot of problems for them.”
Liverpool perch at the top of the Premier League rankings on 36 points, holding a game in hand over second-place Chelsea who are hot on their heels, trailing by a mere two points. Looking ahead, the Reds are setting their sights on the Carabao Cup quarter-final clash against Southampton at St Mary’s on Wednesday before another trip to face Tottenham Hotspur in the league on Sunday.
