An emotional Sven-Goran Eriksson was given a rousing reception as his led his team of Liverpool legends out against Ajax legends at Anfield.
The former England boss was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2023, and revealed in January this year that he has "at best about a year to live". A month later he was named head coach of Liverpool for their legends charity match vs Ajax, which is raising funds for the LFC Foundation.
He looked visibly moved as fans belted out You'll Never Walk Alone before kick off, and waved to the crowd before taking his seat on the manager's bench next to Reds legends, and assistant managers for the day, John Barnes, Ian Rush and John Aldridge.
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The likes of Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Daniel Agger lined up for Liverpool while Rafael van der Vaart and Barent legend Edgar Davids starred for the visitors. Meanwhile, the likes Ryan Babel and Jari Litmanen, who played for both Liverpool and Ajax during their respective careers, turned out for both sides.
Liverpool came from behind to beat Ajax 4-2, handing Eriksson a victory in his last ever game as a manager. Despite the pre-match pleasantries, however, Sven and his Liverpool team were booed - semi-sarcastically - after Ajax took the lead less than two minutes after kick off.
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Ajax then went 2-0 up through Kiki Musampa, but Liverpool came roaring back in the second half. Gregory Vignal pulled one back just after the break before Djibril Cisse equalised with 15 minutes to play.
Nabil El Zhar then the hosts ahead on 80 minutes with a brilliant solo effort before Torres completed the rout with six minutes to play.
Speaking ahead of the game on Friday, the 76-year-old Swede said it would be "a dream" to lead a Liverpool team out at Anfield for his final match as a coach - having had a soft spot for the club all his life. "When I was a manager I always dreamed about [managing] Liverpool but it never happened," he said.
"It was close once," added Eriksson. "There were some discussions once, many years ago. It's like a dream. I could never have dreamed of it. It must be the best atmosphere in the world and part of that is the song when the players walk out - You'll Never Walk Alone.
"When they asked, I thought it was a joke. Of course I would come to a Legends match. It is for charity, which makes it even more lovely."
Eriksson said his love of Liverpool came from his father, who was a lifelong fan of the team. "He will not miss one game on television when Liverpool are playing," Sven revealed. "He phoned me the other day because he couldn't find the right channel.
"The amazing thing is this game is going to be on television in Sweden live, so he will see it."
Eriksson became the first foreign manager to coach the England national team when he took the reins in 2001. He led the team into three major tournaments - the 2002 World Cup, Euro 2004 and the 2006 World Cup - and was eliminated at the quarter-final stage in each.
He also managed the likes of Manchester City, Leicester and Notts County, as well as several notable overseas teams including Lazio, Benfica, Roma and Fiorentina.
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