Liverpool fans welcome Champions League heroes back to Merseyside

Thousands of football fans have welcomed Liverpool's Champions League heroes back to Merseyside as the team paraded their trophy through the city centre.

The Reds 2-0 victory over Tottenham in Madrid sparked jubilant scenes on Saturday night, with fans celebrating into the early hours.

Jurgen Klopp and his team arrived at Liverpool John Lennon Airport on Sunday, before boarding an open-top bus emblazoned with the message "Champions of Europe".

The smiling team, holding aloft their sixth European Cup, were met by a sea of red as they embarked on a tour of the city centre.

Huge crowds of Liverpool fans wearing shirts and flying flags packed out roadsides, chanting and singing the team's praises in the sunshine.

Proudly wearing his red Liverpool shirt, John Ormerod, who is from the city, awaited the arrival of the team bus near the waterfront.

"This is a dream come true," he said.

"I couldn't risk going to Madrid without a ticket so I couldn't miss them coming back to Liverpool with the trophy. The atmosphere is just as good as last night."

Ed Atkins, from Oxford, also tried and failed to get a ticket to Saturday's game.

He travelled up to watch the game in Liverpool and was heading to the Liver buildings to cheer the team home.

He said: "This is probably the next best thing to being in Madrid last night. It was an awful game but the result was all that mattered. I can't believe the numbers of people here though already.

"The team and especially Klopp deserve all the praise."

The Liverpool team bus is expected to take several hours to make its way through the city.

The team's victory sparked rapturous scenes in Liverpool on Saturday night with red smoke filling the air from flares.

A huge party broke out as thousands of fans left pub TV screens to dance and sing in the streets.

On Matthew Street, strewn with beer glasses and bottles, Ged Evans, 34, from Wrexham, said: "This is the greatest night of my life, short of my kids being born.

"If you can't be in Madrid then there's nowhere else on Earth to be tonight than in Liverpool."

Many Liverpool fans had gone to great lengths to travel to the Spanish capital itself and watch the game, many without having tickets.

Travelling supporters who failed to get into the match followed the game on mobile phones outside the stadium.

Scores of others were turned away amid claims some fans had paid thousands on the black market for tickets which turned out to be fakes.

But pre-game concerns over potential strains between fans and police, the lack of tickets for travelling supporters and the absence of any giant screens were put to one side following Liverpool's victory.

Tens of thousands of jubilant fans poured into Madrid's plazas to celebrate the Reds' latest Champions League title with cans of lager.