Liverpool fans had five goals to cheer, and the travelling Toulouse support hardly stopped singing all night, but there was one brief moment of confused silence around Anfield during tonight’s Europa League clash.
With five minutes of normal time remaining, the Reds were 4-1 to the good and comfortably seeing out the game when a whistle was heard around the stadium – but it didn’t come from the Slovenian referee.
Joel Matip was in possession at the time and he stopped upon hearing the noise, with everyone else following suit before the match official grabbed the ball and issued a quick instruction to someone at the side of the pitch, before recommencing play with a drop ball.
Liverpool Echo journalist Ian Doyle was at Anfield providing updates and, after this bizarre incident, he posted on X: “A whistle has been blown in the crowd and Matip stopped. Now everyone has stopped. Now Matip has the ball back. Strange”
A whistle has been blown in the crowd and Matip stopped. Now everyone has stopped. Now Matip has the ball back. Strange
— Ian Doyle (@IanDoyleSport) October 26, 2023
Amid the six goals which were scored tonight, and the senior Liverpool debuts for Calum Scanlon and James McConnell (along with Luke Chambers’ first start), this peculiar moment will probably be soon forgotten.
It certainly caught everyone off guard momentarily, but luckily the individual responsible waited until a point in the match where the result was no longer in doubt and even the most cautious of home fans could relax.
It’s not ideal, and surely would’ve been majorly frowned upon had the game been in the balance, but thankfully it’ll go down as a quirky footnote on a night to remember for several Reds youngsters – as well as the magnificent Toulouse supporters.
#Ep94 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️