Wayne Routledge’s salute to Liverpool FC fans

Nov 8 2011 by James Pearce, Liverpool Echo

WAYNE ROUTLEDGE admits he was left shocked by the standing ovation Swansea City received after their draw at Anfield.

The 26-year-old winger’s mum is from Merseyside and he used to watch the Reds play during his childhood.

“I’ve played here before and had good experiences but to be honest I’m still a bit stunned because my family are from Liverpool,” he said.

“I’ve been coming here since I was five and I’ve never seen a team clapped off. To experience that was amazing. That says everything about the team performance because the fans in Liverpool know their football and they knew what they saw.

“We’re not little old Swansea City anymore. Teams are seeing the way we play football and our beliefs and are giving us respect. We just have to keep doing that.”

Swansea boss Brendan Rodgers added: “Respect to the Anfield supporters, because I don’t think there are many teams who walk off here and get a round of applause. That marked the level of our performance. They were obviously frustrated with their own team at times but they showed a little moment of class at the end.”