Xabi Alonso insists playing at Anfield "awakens" him following Saturday afternoon's legends match between Liverpool and Manchester United.
Liverpool defeated United 2-1 on Merseyside thanks to second-half goals from Mark Gonzalez and Florent Sinama-Pongolle. Dimitar Berbatov opened the scoring for the visitors before Kenny Dalglish's side rallied to beat United for the second time this year.
Saturday afternoon's game was the second "Legends of the North" fixture to be competed by Liverpool and United. The first game, which was held at Old Trafford in May, finished 3-1 to Liverpool - meaning the Reds completed a 5-2 aggregate win at Anfield.
Alonso, 40, is regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation after successful spells with Real Sociedad, Eibar, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. He won 114 senior caps for Spain, lifting the World Cup and two European Championships.
Alonso made 210 appearances for Liverpool between 2004 and 2009 - winning four trophies, including the Champions League in 2005 - to become a fan favourite at Anfield. He expressed his delight at being back on Merseyside to the club's website after the game.
"I loved it after some time without playing these kind of games," said Alonso. "You still know that you feel it, you have it inside and whenever you have the chance it awakens [you]. I really loved it and a great cause, great atmosphere, best stadium in the world. Great day.
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"[Anfield is] different. You have pretty stadiums all over the world, great atmospheres, Champions League nights - but this is Anfield. The soul, the stands, the lights, it's different and it's pure football. That's why we love it as a player, as a fan, as anyone that comes."
Alonso was arguably the best player on the pitch, rolling back to the years to prove he's still got it. He added: "That doesn't change – many things change, the legs change, the strength changes. But once you have that understanding after playing so many years, it is still there. As long as I can enjoy and I can play here, I will love to come back."
Liverpool's legends team contained many famous faces - including Jerzy Dudek, Martin Skrtel, Stewart Downing, Andriy Voronin, Djimi Traore, Glen Johnson, Albert Riera, Luis Garcia, Robbie Keane, Momo Sissoko, Stephane Henchoz and Sander Westerveld.
United, meanwhile, brought a star-studded squad to Anfield. It included Jaap Stam, Antonio Valencia, Michael Carrick, Darren Fletcher, Denis Irwin, Clayton Blackmore, Roy Keane, Eric Djemba-Djemba, Ronny Johnsen, Frazier Campbell and Karel Poborsky.
Saturday afternoon's game was played in aid of LFC Foundation, a club-run charity that undertakes important work in the local community.
On scoring his winner in front of the Kop, Sinama-Pongolle said: "I am very happy, [it's] always special scoring for Liverpool – for the Reds – it's always something unique. To be here again, bringing some kind of joy against Man United, [our] rivals, [I'm] very happy."
