No one will forget the tears of James Milner. We have heard ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ chanted with such ferocity and acclaim before, and opposing players being jeered into submission is hardly new on these extraordinary European nights.

But the abiding memory of a precious evening at Anfield is of players and supporters openly weeping in victory. Of that communal, unrefined joy taking 52,000 fans and 14 exhausted participants on a tour through euphoria’s peaks before the body is compelled to succumb.

The debate will endure as to whether it was Anfield's greatest night. There have certainly been none so affecting.

The crying epidemic rapidly spread across the arena, long before it struck Liverpool’s number 7. There is no mentally tougher player at Anfield than Milner. When he surrendered to the sound of The Kop after Divock Origi stroked in the winner, the traditional post-match hug from manager Jurgen Klopp was in danger of being mistaken for consolation.