How jubilation turned to tragedy on Liverpool's darkest day since Hillsborough

Yahoo

26-05-2025

In Liverpool FC's glory-laden history of triumph over adversity and 47 major trophies along the way, this was – until 6pm – the most euphoric party of them all.
Crowds swelled to an estimated 800,000 and they celebrated under skies thick with red flare smoke as the team's open-top bus crawled through the city centre to a crescendo of sight and sound.
There had been no official party after the club's last Premier League title during the pandemic, so this time they were celebrating for two. The Liverpool team first appeared just before 2.30pm and they were greeted by a cacophony of noise.
'It is beyond what you can dream of,' said the Liverpool manager Arne Slot. The players, staff and owners weaved their way along the 15-kilometre route through the city, culminating in a virtual standstill under the two Liver birds, one of which appeared to be breathing smoke.
Seasoned eyewitnesses in the crowds cramming the streets said they were watching scenes worthy of festivals in Rio and New Orleans.
But, four hours into the official celebration, as the players and spectators still danced to sets put on by the likes of superstar DJ Calvin Harris, the carnival mood descended into horrifying carnage.
Out of nowhere at about 6pm, a black Ford Galaxy people carrier appeared on Water Street, heading southward towards the Strand, one of the main city centre stretches where fans were gathered.
Harry Rashid, 48, from Solihull, was at the parade with his wife and two young daughters when the car roared past him. 'This people carrier just pulled up from the right and just rammed into all the people at the side of us,' he told the Liverpool Echo.
For the club, instead of a night to relive past glories, the screams of horror would reopen old wounds for a fanbase that has endured worse past traumas than any other in the English game.
Dr John Ashton, who became a key whistleblower after joining the 1989 Hillsborough rescue effort on the day of the disaster, was among those making frantic calls last night to once again check on loved ones nearby. As a former director of public health for the north-west of England, he also has unique expertise when large-scale emergencies unfold.
'It's devastating,' the Liverpool season-ticket holder told The Telegraph minutes after the crash. 'We won during the pandemic and weren't able to celebrate properly. It was always going to be a special occasion. I was at the game yesterday and the whole weekend was building up to this crescendo this afternoon.'
With the city so packed on Monday, Dr Ashton admitted he was already edgy about something untoward unfolding. 'I was already very concerned about the extensive use of flares,' he added.
'From several angles, it reminded me of the smogs in Liverpool when I was a child when the buses couldn't proceed because they couldn't see their way ... with an event of this magnitude, it really makes policing very difficult.'
Credit: Social Media
For Dr Ashton and thousands of others, the scenes of Liverpool fans injured will be haunting.
In 1989, he had attended the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest while off-duty as a fan, but ended the day by initiating triage behind the tunnel at the Leppings Lane end, prioritising those who could still be saved in the worst horror to hit football.
He pinned makeshift death notices on the shirts of six fans and was rocked by the horror of what should have been prevented. After witnessing Monday night's events on television, he said questions would now be asked over the coming hours about the car being able to get on to Water Street, where the horror took place.
'Water Street is a narrow road and it really should be blocked off at Castle Street with heavy duty barriers because you get such a density of people around,' he said.
He added, however, that 'obviously at this point in an incident, you get conflicting testimony so you have to be really careful before drawing conclusions'.
The contrast of one of fans' best days turning to one of the worst will also ring familiar for younger Liverpool fans in attendance for the club's 2022 Champions League final in Paris, where security failings saw fans robbed by locals, kettled and tear-gassed by police.
As with the Hillsborough disaster, there were false accusations against supporters made the aftermath as French politicians attempted to cover the local police's backs.
It is in that context that anger erupted so ferociously at the scene when the Ford Galaxy finally came to a halt. 'F------ kill him,' screamed some fans as they attempted to get at the 53-year-old suspect before he was led away by police.
'Ours Again,' was the message on the side of the bus, Virgil van Dijk by now making the trophy his personal property as the song You'll Never Walk Alone launched another firework display.
After another glorious night for the storied club was ruined, there will be many throughout the city who will demand justice is served promptly this time.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.