Some people were surprised Jordan Henderson was targeted by Liverpool fans on Wednesday - but they clearly haven't been paying attention

Having been for much of his Liverpool career a somewhat strangely divisive figure, a lack of universal approval from the Anfield crowd was nothing new for Jordan Henderson.

Wednesday, though, was an altogether different experience for the former Reds skipper.

From his first touch of the ball for Chelsea in the Carabao Cup fourth round clash, Henderson was roundly jeered by a section of the home support every time he was in possession.

It continued all the way through to the unsuccessful efforts to put the midfielder off when netting in the penalty shoot-out, his first goal in front of the Kop in almost exactly five years to the day.

OPINION

Some Liverpool fans also found it grating the manner in which Henderson was characteristically in the ear of the referee and animatedly attempting to cajole his Chelsea team-mates through a match Liverpool eventually triumphed on spot kicks.

Compare that to the warm reception the England international received in May on his first return to Anfield since leaving three years ago, given a standing ovation on his substitution during the draw against Brentford on the final day of last season.

Indeed, it had prompted the travelling Bees fans to fume under the belief Henderson was more concerned with acknowledging his former supporters and building up fitness ahead of the World Cup rather than helping their team secure the win they needed to qualify for Europe.

Nevertheless, it's still somewhat strange that Wednesday's catcalls for the 35-year-old have prompted discourse on social media and beyond.

First things first. This is a very different situation to the furore sparked by Trent Alexander-Arnold being abused shortly after announcing he would not sign a new contract in May last year.

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After all, the right-back was still a Liverpool player trying to beat Arsenal when he was targeted by a significant portion of the Anfield crowd.

By contrast, Henderson hasn't played for Liverpool in a competitive match since May 2023. In fact, Chelsea are his fourth club since departing, having first moved to Al Ettifaq and then on to Ajax.

The real crux is for whom the midfielder was playing. Liverpool and Chelsea have become sworn enemies during the Premier League era, with Henderson having featured in the League Cup and FA Cup final wins over Chelsea in 2022, the UEFA Super Cup triumph in 2019 and the FA Cup final loss in 2012.

His treatment was not dissimilar to that meted out to Michael Owen, who in the eyes of some Reds fans made an unforgivable mistake by joining Manchester United a full five years after he'd left Liverpool for Real Madrid.

But even those players who departed with a degree of acceptance from the Reds fanbase have ultimately found themselves in the firing line.

Witness the Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona in 2019, when both Luis Suarez and Philippe Coutinho - hugely popular during their time at Anfield - were subjected to ear-piercing whistles and boos.

The abuse was purely an attempt to rattle the duo and distract them from their work. And it worked as Liverpool overturned a 3-0 deficit to win 4-3 on aggregate before Henderson went on to lift the Reds' sixth European Cup in Madrid with victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the final.

Ultimately, the real surprise is that anyone was taken aback by Henderson being jeered on Wednesday evening.

As a successful Liverpool captain, he wouldn't have expected anything different. He as much as anyone knows what Anfield will do to help their team win.