Flying the 'champions' flag: A precious relic from Liverpool's 1989-90 title win - Liverpool FC
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By Mark Platt
With Liverpool flying high as league champions once again, it's only right we continue the celebratory theme by focusing on an item that commemorates a past title-winning campaign.
Thirty-five years ago, Kenny Dalglish led the Reds to an 18th top-flight championship and in recognition of that achievement, the flag pictured above fluttered proudly over Anfield for the duration of the following season.
Featuring the classic club crest of the time, alongside the logos of the Football League and its then-sponsor Barclays, it emphatically reminded any passers-by that Liverpool were yet again the country's undisputed best team in 1989-90.
Double-sided and measuring three-and-a-half metres wide, it was hoisted to the top of the mast at Flagpole Corner, situated between the Kop and the Kemlyn Road Stand, in the summer of 1990, as the club basked in the glow that comes with being champions.
It had been a season in which Liverpool famously defeated Sunday's opponents Crystal Palace 9-0 on the way to wrestling their crown back from the clutches of Arsenal.
was captain and the star player, topping the club scoring charts and deservedly scooping the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year award for a second time.
Aston Villa were the Reds' nearest challengers, and the title was secured on the last weekend of April, courtesy of a 2-1 home win over Queens Park Rangers. Three days later, the trophy was presented at the final home game, against Derby County.
Until this season, it was the last time a title had been celebrated in front of supporters at Anfield.
The flag may be weathered, worn and in need of a clean, but it remains a precious souvenir of another vintage campaign and, after more than three decades in storage, was recently given a timely airing at the ground above which it once flew.
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