The power of Anfield, the glory of Klopp, no matter what happens on Sunday... LIVERPOOL ARE BACK!

LIVERPOOL fans could be forgiven lately for spitting on the notion that the darkest hour is just before the dawn.

On Monday night, after the latest victory by the relentless pointwinning machine Manchester City left them facing another season of bitter disappointment, it felt like the dawn of their rebirth was once more on hold.

Sure, there could still be a final title twist at Brighton on Sunday but, looking at the way this exceptional City side are snuffing out all resistance, it seems unlikely.

A third runners-up spot in a decade after a season in which they could reach 97 points looked like their destiny and the intensity of trying to shake off Pep Guardiola’s side left most Liverpudlians mentally exhausted.

The fact that Guardiola said Jurgen Klopp’s side are, along with the Barcelona vintage of Neymar, Messi and Suarez, the most “incredible” opponent he’s faced, was no consolation. If anything it intensified the pain. As if to add to it, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were coming to Anfield the following night to put the finishing touches to their 3-0 Nou Camp victory and leave Liverpool missing out again on European glory after two final defeats in the previous two years.

And then Barcelona were brutally shredded and the dawn was once again in sight.

I didn’t speak to anyone going into Anfield who genuinely believed a 4-0 win, without Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino, was possible. The feeling was that one touch of class from Messi and the tie was over.

But Klopp (below) thought differently. These were his programme notes: “This Liverpool never quits.

This Liverpool gives everything at all times. Whatever happens this Liverpool leaves it all on the pitch and nothing left for regrets. We don’t do ‘if only’.”

And this was his pre-match battle cry to the players: “You can do it tonight if you show some ******* balls.”

The history books are littered with opponents who underestimated the power of Anfield on these European nights.

But there was another power at work on Tuesday. The power of Klopp’s will. The manager’s ability to instil into every one of his players the belief and discipline that, if you fight hard enough, anything is possible.

It was the night he proved beyond doubt that he is Bill Shankly’s natural successor. The master motivator. The emotional link between players and fans. The embodiment of everything the club’s history demands. He has been saying for months that no matter what happens this season, his project is only just starting and that he sees himself building a dynasty at Anfield. The man who said on arrival that his mission was to turn the fans from doubters to believers is on his way. The average age of the first-team squad is 26, all the main players have signed long-term contracts, no one is looking to jump ship, and more new faces will arrive this summer.

Behind the scenes the club has never had more money or a better structure. The owners back Klopp to the hilt. The foundations that Shankly needed to build before the trophies started to roll in are once again in place.

Back in 2014 many neutrals looked kindly on a Liverpool title win, seeing it as a romantic one-off, a Steven Gerrard swansong. This time it’s been different. Most are desperate for them not to be champions because they sense it could be the springboard for another sustained era of success.

That remains a distinct possibility regardless of what happens on Sunday.

Liverpool are back.