LIVERPOOL: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was overcome with emotion as he dedicated the club’s first league title in 30 years to the fans on Thursday.
Klopp wiped away tears of joy during a television interview minutes after Chelsea’s 2-1 win against Manchester City sealed the Premier League crown for Liverpool.
“It’s such a big moment, I am completely overwhelmed,” Klopp told Sky Sports.
“Tonight it is for you out there,” added Klopp.
“It’s incredible. I hope you stay at home, or go in front of your house if you want, but not more. We do it together in this moment and it is a joy to do it for you.”
Thousands ignored Klopp’s plea to respect social distancing rules amid the coronavirus as they partied the night away in the streets around Anfield.
But the German promised Liverpool will hold a celebratory parade through the city when it is safe to do so.
“We will create pictures in the future with the parade whenever it will be for all our supporters,” added Klopp. “We will be together and enjoy this in a proper manner.”
The long-awaited title was clinched without Liverpool kicking a ball as City’s defeat meant Klopp’s men have an unassailable 23-point lead at the top of the Premier League with seven games to play.
A first league title in three decades caps a meteoric rise for the Reds back to the top of the English game after Klopp arrived in 2015 with the club struggling just to break into the top four.
But the former Borussia Dortmund coach remains hungry for more silverware in the coming years with most of his squad still in their prime.
“What they did over the last two or three years is just exceptional and a pure joy for me to coach them,” said Klopp, who watched City’s defeat alongside his players at a hotel.
“It’s just been a really exciting ride from the first day I arrived and it is not over yet, that’s the good thing.
“The team all look like they have a good few years in their legs but for tonight we just enjoy this moment. It is the best thing I can imagine, it’s more than I ever dreamed of to be honest.”
Virgil Van Dijk’s signing from Southampton in 2018 has proved one of the key moments in Liverpool’s renaissance under Klopp.
The Dutch defender said Liverpool had to raise their game even higher this season to overhaul City after a club record 97 points was still only good enough for second last season.
“What a season. We’ve been incredible. To be part of this group of players and part of this journey is incredible and I am very proud to be able to call myself a Premier League winner,” he said.
“In the league this year we have taken it to another level. We have been so consistent and played so well.”
Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry, whose Fenway Sports Group bought the club in 2010, paid tribute to their incredible campaign.
“This was a season for the ages and for the faithful of Liverpool Football Club,” Henry tweeted.
Kenny Dalglish, who won three titles as Liverpool manager and was the last man to guide them to the trophy in 1990, admitted he never expected the wait to be so long.
“I think back then if you’d have said it would take 30 years you’d have been arrested and sectioned, but sometimes things happen,” Dalglish told BT Sport.
“Since Jurgen came in, it has been very positive all the way. He’s been fantastic and he epitomises everything that Liverpool stands for.
“I think there will be plenty more days to look forward to as long as Jurgen is there.”
Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson lifted the Champions League trophy last season and the midfielder said clinching the Premier League was just as sweet.
“I’m just a little bit overwhelmed right now, it’s just an amazing feeling and just so proud of what we’ve achieved,” he said.
“Another moment in our lives that we’ll never forget.”
In the moments after the final whistle at Chelsea, Liverpool defender Andy Robertson best summed up the feelings of Reds fans across the world as he simply tweeted: “Oh my god.”
‘It’s for you’, tearful Klopp tells Liverpool fans
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‘It’s for you’, tearful Klopp tells Liverpool fans
- Klopp: “It’s such a big moment, I am completely overwhelmed”
Iva Jovic hopes to channel Novak Djokovic on Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships debut
- American teen sensation looking to build on strong start to 2026 season
Things have been developing fast for American teenager Iva Jovic.
This time last year, she was ranked 167 in the world and had just lost in the opening round of a Challenger in Cancun.
Today, she is perched nicely at a career-high No. 20 in the world rankings, with a WTA title under her belt (in Guadalajara last year) and an Australian Open quarterfinal appearance last month.
At 18, the Californian became the youngest American woman to reach the last-eight stage at Melbourne Park since Venus Williams in 1998.
Having started 2026 with an impressive 11-3 win-loss record (semis in Auckland, final in Hobart, quarters at the Australian Open), Jovic withdrew from the WTA tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha to take some much-needed time off and is now in the UAE ready to make her debut at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
We caught up with Jovic on Saturday ahead of her Dubai opener against former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari.
What does it mean for you to be coming to these tournaments now that you probably were watching in the past coming to this part of the world?
I mean, it’s so special. Obviously, it’s one thing to kind of play your first WTA events and get the feel for it, but it’s a different one to be in the tournaments every week and have your ranking at a place where you can play the full calendar. So that was the goal for me, and it’s pretty incredible to have had it all as it is now and to just be here.
Obviously, I want to win every match I play. I hate to lose. But I also try to remember that just being here is an incredible accomplishment and privilege. But Dubai has been so fun. I went to the mall yesterday. I went to the top of the Burj Khalifa. So I’ve already got to do a couple of things.
The culture and everything is very cool here. It’s my first time in this part of the world, so it’s very cool to see all these new things. I feel like I’m learning a lot, so much more to come.
I know you had to pull out of the last couple of tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha. I’m just wondering, post-Australia, what came into that decision?
Yeah, I think I just needed a little bit more time. I think I played the most matches out of anyone in the Australian swing. It was a lot, and I’m really happy with how it went. It was a great experience, and I won a lot, right? So that’s what you want. But I also needed to rest and train a little bit to just take care of my body. And now I’m feeling good and ready to go to be here in Dubai.
With Australia, now that you’ve had a little bit of time and space since then, what was the biggest takeaways from that? And did any of it take you by surprise?
I like to think that it’s surprising but not surprising, because obviously having great results and maybe some wins weren’t expected, but I also know how hard I’ve worked, and that good things tend to come when you put in the right work. So, surprised, but also not that surprised. Again, I think it’s one thing to have a couple of those good results, but for me the most important thing is consistency. So I want to establish myself as a player who’s going deep every single week.
You’ve got Maria Sakkari in your first round. She just made the semis in Doha. How do you look ahead to that match?
That’s definitely going to be a tough one. So thank you, Alex (Eala) for giving me a tough match. She pulled my name out (during the draw), but that’s okay. I’ll forgive her. But no, that’ll be a difficult one. Maria is a fighter. I played her in doubles, first meeting in singles. I mean I’m so new on the tour, still. I haven’t played a lot of these women. But she’s a competitor. She’s been around for a while and obviously making semis last week. She’s in top form. But, you know, again, you love the battle and you want the tough matches. So hopefully I can pull through.
You got to play the world number one in a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Didn’t go your way, but I’m wondering what did you take from that experience?
Yeah, I think that obviously you want to play the best just to win, yes, but even if you don’t, to just see where you stand. I think I’ve done a good job so far of learning from every loss, and I think that’s all it is. You learn from it, and it’s just fine margins. The differences aren’t that big.
It’s just little details that you need to work on that I’ve already been working on the past couple weeks, so hopefully that can show.
I know Novak Djokovic has been sending you tips. You’ve been in contact. He’s won this tournament a bunch of times. Are you going to perhaps be like, give me some tips for this Dubai court?
Oh, my God. Well, I hope … I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do that. I’m still a little nervous when I talk to him. He’s definitely my idol, but yeah, I see him at every corner. I’m like, how many times did this guy win the tournament? I see him on every screen. But just try to be like Novak. I’m going to keep it that simple.
