The game between Liverpool and Manchester United on Sunday was a truly stirring occasion, which showed football at its unifying best.
It began as soon as the players walked onto the pitch. Anyone who watched as Sir Bobby Charlton, the only possible challenger to Sir Alex Ferguson as United’s greatest living icon, passed a bouquet to Liverpool great Ian Rush, could not help but be moved by the scene.
Likewise for those who saw Sir Alex stand beside Brendan Rodgers for his pre-match interview, with a genuine sense of warmth and goodwill between them as they expressed their mutual hope for a respectful observation of the occasion.
They both said that there would be no problem between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra, and they were right. The last time these two met it was punctuated by a declined pre-match handshake from the former and a tastelessly obnoxious post-match celebration by the latter.
But on this day, the true injustice of the 96 made irrelevant any injustice that had been perceived by either Evra or Suarez. There were simply more important things to worry about, as the solemn number on their tracksuits surely reminded them.
The image of the two men shaking hands while wearing 96 on their backs says a lot about the significance of this occasion for English football.
Ryan Giggs, whose own personal failings have been offered up as a condemnation of football and its trappings, was next to take part in the proceedings. Standing in as captain for the inexplicably absent Nemanja Vidic, Giggs had the job of releasing 96 red balloons into the sky.
Then came what I can only assume was one of the most boisterous renditions of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ ever delivered, one which brought many to tears. For a moment, as the camera panned across the stands, I thought I was going to be among them.
After all of this, it was left to John Champion to sum up the feeling around the ground as English broadcasters seem to do better than any other. He simply said: “And now the match”.
The noise around the ground in the minutes after kickoff was simply unbelievable. It was near-deafening for me sitting in an Australian lounge room, so I shudder to think what it must have been like for those occupying the Kop.
Liverpool hoed into United in the first half, controlling the game and looking likely to break them at any moment. Rarely has a side showed so much promise for so little reward in the opening weeks of a season, but I suspect that their luck will turn.
Liverpool’s play deserved Steven Gerrard’s goal. The occasion demanded it. As he approached the ball and struck it, the stars seemed to align. As someone who is dedicated to loving United and detesting Liverpool in almost equal measure, even I could not begrudge him the moment.
As Gerrard, so often Liverpool’s knight, charged towards the corner with arms aloft, everyone, be they in the ground or 25,000 miles away in a recliner chair in Australia, knew what he was thinking. It was a special moment.
This was a special day. It could have been nasty. From what I could tell, the chants never got past the generic Scouse-mocking, which goes on every year.
But the tone of this day was set from the beginning. This was about dignity.
Often it is said that England’s football supporters have an almost religious zealotry. On Sunday, the cause of justice for the 96 left all of the partisan nonsense in the dark, allowing both sides to worship together.
Twitter: @M_Campbell23
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