Chiedozie Ogbene had the honour of opening the scoring at Anfield in Luton’s 4-1 defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday night, and he was awestruck by his first experience of the iconic venue.
The 26-year-old’s early strike stunned the home crowd before a rousing second half performance saw Jurgen Klopp lap up the post-match atmosphere and his opposite number Rob Edwards wax lyrical about the aura created by the Reds fans.
Reflecting on the midweek clash, the Republic of Ireland international said (via Luton Today): “It was very loud when they scored the second goal, the third goal, the vocals. Everyone was screaming and I just felt I could see waves of their sounds.
“It was difficult, but it’s what we all dream of. It’s why Luton Town got promoted to be in this level and we want to stay in this level to test ourselves. We’ve come here, fought very well, just not got the result and hopefully we regain our status for this year, come back here again next year and see what can happen.”
From his humble beginnings at Cork City in the League of Ireland in the mid-2010s, Ogbene has now sampled some of the biggest venues in world football from his time in the Premier League with Luton, as well as the 19 senior caps he’s earned for his country.
However, we can’t recall him ever speaking about Old Trafford, St James’ Park, Hampden Park or the Stade de France – all of which he’s sampled over the past 18 months – in the same hallowed tones.
The Anfield atmosphere hasn’t always been crackling this season, but when Klopp needed the Liverpool crowd behind him during the second half on Wednesday night, they duly delivered – so much so that the manager even referenced that game against Barcelona in 2019 afterwards.
The noise which boomed around L4 during the week will hopefully be recreated on a few more occasions before the 56-year-old departs the Reds at the end of the campaign. Just imagine what it might be like if – if – the Premier League trophy is being presented to Virgil van Dijk there in May…