SG: It was up there with trophy wins
Steven Gerrard admits walking out at a sold-out Anfield with his three children for his testimonial clash with Olympiacos was up there alongside some of the greatest moments of his career.
The captain was joined by his daughters as he made his way onto the turf for the game, and they were greeted by a guard of honour formed by both sets of players.
Gerrard went on to help Liverpool to a 2-0 victory over the Greek side - and afterwards acknowledged his emotion at how the day unfolded.
He told a post-match press conference: "It went perfectly. We got a good win, had a good test, we got a fitness workout out of it and the supporters were fantastic.
"I need to give a huge thank you to all the Olympiacos team and staff for coming over and giving us a good contest. It was a good test for us."
Gerrard added: "The supporters have always been magnificent with me ever since I made my debut, but to walk out with my three little daughters, who are the most important people to me, was right up there with winning the big trophies for this club. It was a very emotional occasion and I loved every minute of it."
The return of Olympiacos to Anfield evoked memories of Gerrard's historic last-gasp Champions League strike in December 2004 that took Liverpool into the knockout stages of the tournament and, ultimately, on to Istanbul glory.
Nine years on, the 33-year-old looked set to repeat the effort with moments left on the clock, but generously opted to try and slide in Anfield legend Robbie Fowler inside the Kop end penalty box.
"I could have gone on my own, but I thought I'd slip Robbie in instead," Gerrard reflected. "It would have been nice if Robbie had got on the scoresheet, but the win is more important and we're in really good condition at the moment for this stage [of pre-season].
"There are still a couple of friendlies to go, but everyone has got their eyes on Stoke. We're really focused."
Fowler was joined in the Liverpool squad by another Anfield oldboy in the form of Jamie Carragher, with both receiving rapturous receptions from the crowd when entering the action in the second half.
Meanwhile, for Iago Aspas, Kolo Toure, Simon Mignolet and Luis Alberto, it was a chance to experience playing in front of the Kop as a Reds player for the first time - and Gerrard was left suitably impressed by the quartet.
"Aspas has got little bits of magic and he'll certainly strengthen the squad," he stated. "He's still very young but you can see the talent is there.
"I thought Toure looked assured at the back and Mignolet kept another clean sheet and we're yet to concede a goal. Luis Alberto is one for the future and I'm sure every minute he gets here at Anfield will be great experience for him.
"The new signings are settling well and hopefully there are one or two more in the coming weeks."
Gerrard has made no secret of his burning desire to secure a return to the kind of iconic Champions League nights at Anfield that saw Olympiacos defeated in dramatic circumstances en route to Istanbul.
Indeed, he's in no doubt it's the stage where a club of Liverpool's stature should be playing.
The No.8 said: "It's where this club belongs. I've experienced European football many times here at Anfield and that's where we belong.
"There is a lot of hard work to do and there are some top teams fighting for those top-four positions, so it's going to be very difficult and that's the reason I said through the week that it's important we keep our best players and also try and add to that as well."
Meanwhile, journalists were eager to know whether Gerrard felt he would need to adapt from his trademark all-action style as he enters into his 16th season as a first-team player.
The captain replied: "I'll adapt when myself and the manager feel the time is right. I think you've already seen signs that there has been a little bit of adaption - sometimes I don't bomb forward as much - but I'm still full of energy and feel as strong as ever.
"I'm looking forward to this season like never before, so I don't see why I should do too much adaption just yet."