Liverpool's Anfield Road stand: Everything you need to know

Here's all you need to know about Liverpool's development on the Anfield Road stand ahead and its effect on the stadium.

Liverpool will open the upper level of the Anfield Road stand against Manchester United on Sunday for the first time since development started. The club are boosting the overall attendance of the stand - and Anfield as a whole.

It's a project that hasn't gone entirely smoothly, however, and Sunday won't even be the full opening. Here's all you need to know about the project and what to expect going forward.

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Anfield Road stand: The initial plan

Liverpool and FSG long harboured plans to expand the Anfield Road stand after completing an expansion on the Main Stand. The initial idea, however, was for a 4,000 seat expansion.

That plan expired in August 2019 and Liverpool instead proposed a new one - to expand by 7,000. They formally put the plan forward a year later. That was finally greenlit in June 2021, allowing development to begin in September of that year.

The delays

The stand was supposed to be ready for this season but July saw the announcement of delays. Buckingham Group - the contractors hired to do the work - could no longer guarantee that it would be completed before the first international break.

Things then got worse in August. Buckingham Group, a £700m turnover company, filed for administration and work on Anfield ceased with immediate effect. The club took control of the project a few weeks later and searched for new contractors to finish the stand.

The delays have led to a reduced capacity at Anfield for the entire season so far, costing Liverpool millions in lost revenue. They have employed Rayner Rowen to complete the work after the summer's debacle.

Opening dates

Liverpool will finally open up the upper tier on Sunday, December 6th for the visit of Manchester United. It'll mean an attendance of 57,000 at Anfield for the first time in decades - and will break their Premier League attendance record.

The entire stand, however, won't be open. More work is needed for the full capacity to happen and that is expected to be completed in January 2024. Once that happens, Anfield will be a 60,000-seater stadium for the first time.

Attendance record

Liverpool will break their Premier League attendance record on Sunday against Manchester United as 57,000 fans should pack the stadium. That will list the Reds past the 53,373 mark set against Cardiff City in 2018.

But it won't be their all-time league record. Liverpool had 58,757 fans against Chelsea back in 1949 - a number that still stands as their most in a top-flight fixture. The full Anfield Road stand will allow them to break that record next year, however.

Their overall attendance record will be beyond that, though. It's currently 61,905, set against Wolves in 1952. That figure is beyond even the full planned Anfield expansion - more work will be needed to top that.

Anfield Road stand: Key figures and dates

• Planned capacity: 61,000

• Capacity before full opening: 57,000

• Previous capacity: 54,000

• Cost: £80m (per the Athletic)

• Initial plan put forward: August 2019

• Approved: June 2021

• Work began: September 2021

• Buckingham Group administration: August 2023

• Liverpool take control of project: September 2023

• Partial opening: December 2023

• Planned full opening: January 2024