Anfield set for a party as Reds prepare to lift Premier League trophy!

Sunday promises to be a special day at Anfield as Liverpool FC prepare to lift the Premier League trophy after the visit of Crystal Palace FC on the final day of the season.

A very special season comes to an end on Sunday, as Liverpool Football Club host Crystal Palace FC at Anfield before lifting the Premier League trophy for the first time since 2020.

A campaign that began with a 2-0 win over Ipswich Town FC at Portman Road has seen the Reds - led by their new head coach Arne Slot – romp home to a joint-record 20th league title by the end of April.

The scenes that marked the title-clinching victory over Tottenham Hotspur FC on April 27 are now set to be repeated, and perhaps even surpassed, when captain Virgil van Dijk lifts the most cherished trophy of all shortly after Sunday’s final whistle.

If results since the win over Spurs haven’t quite gone as well as hoped, with defeats against Chelsea FC and Brighton and Hove Albion FC sandwiching a draw against Arsenal FC, the Reds’ supporters will hope to cap off the campaign with victory over Oliver Glasner’s FA Cup winners.

Harvey Elliott - who scored his first Premier League goal of the season against the Seagulls in Monday night’s 3-2 defeat – maintains winning matches is still top of the agenda for him and his fellow players, despite the celebratory mood of the last few weeks.

"It's very hard because you're trying not to get too carried away with the celebrations and the enjoyment,” said the 22-year-old midfielder.

"We've worked really hard throughout the season. Some lads like myself, for example, who haven't played this much in the season, it's just about going out and enjoying it and enjoying these kind of games.

"But at the end of the day we want to win as well. It's not a game where we just turn up and we just want to get through it. We want to get three points and we want to keep winning.

"But we just need to take the positives and take it into the final game [on Sunday]."

Speaking after Monday night’s game, Slot conceded that the fine margins that have gone his side’s way throughout the season – thanks to constant dedication and a relentless will to win - went against the Reds at the Amex Stadium.

“I think I saw many things that I already knew and one of them is how close the margins have been throughout our whole season,” insisted the boss.

“And now with us failing to score the third, with us just missing maybe this two or three per cent sometimes in our defensive work, immediately it leads to us losing games of football – although I know it's against Chelsea, I know it's against Brighton and I know we didn't lose against Arsenal but I know it's against Arsenal.

“But we won this league because we've been so consistent, we've done so many things right, but we haven't won it in a way like [Manchester] City did it for the last four seasons where they just could close the eyes and they were even 4-0 up.

“We've been very close in terms of quality with all the teams we've competed with.

“That's why it's also such a big compliment that we won this league by such a big margin, because the quality margins are not so much different between us and some other teams, so that's why it's such a big compliment – especially because we've had our injuries throughout the season as well. To lead by 12 now is a big compliment to our players.”

The Dutchman also felt that Dominik Szoboszlai meant to score his side’s second goal just before the break, despite some debate about whether the Hungarian was trying to cross the ball.

“What I liked a lot is that we mostly have a certain routine in our set-pieces but we tried to tell them if you see something else, try to execute it. Feel free to execute if you feel there is another opportunity,” he added.

“I think Harvey and Dom felt it was a two-v-one at that free-kick and they outplayed that. Then, I definitely feel Dom meant to shoot that ball on target because he has a great shot and we ask him, 'Use it more, use it more, use it more' because in training sessions he scores from every angle. But if he is playing he is always looking where is Mo, which is not always a bad idea because Mo can score a goal as well.

“I don't know how many goals he has now, but it is getting better and better for an attacking midfielder for Liverpool to have this amount of goals.”

Slot also confirmed that Alexis Mac Allister will not play against Palace, with the Argentinian nursing a minor injury and in need of rest ahead of the new season.

One player who caught the eye on Monday night – as he has done throughout the last two seasons – was Conor Bradley.

The 21-year-old right-back’s marauding run and cross was finished by Elliott in the first half, and Bradley’s rapid progress since breaking into the squad under Jürgen Klopp has seen him rewarded with a new, long-term contract.

“To sign another contract, I’m very proud and happy to see what the next steps on our journey together will be,” Bradley told Liverpoolfc.com.

“You’ve just got to keep your head down and keep working hard.

“It has been a fantastic two years [with the senior team]. Especially since coming back from loan and doing so well last year and continuing that on this year. It’s been really good. So, hopefully we can keep going and keep making more memories.”

Finally, a mainstay of the Reds’ side under Rafael Benitez and beyond has announced his retirement.

Spanish goalkeeper Jose ‘Pepe’ Reina spent almost ten years on Merseyside after joining in 2005 – winning the FA Cup in 2006 and starting the 2007 UEFA Champions League final against AC Milan - and will hang up his gloves following Como’s Serie A clash with Internazionale on Friday.

Reina will go down as one of the club’s greatest ever ‘keepers, having kept a staggering 177 clean sheets in 394 games for Liverpool FC.