"We knew there would be great support from the Merseyside public, but even such a fantastic response exceeded expectations," said chief executive Rick Parry.
"To attract a crowd of 39,000 must rank this as the best game of its kind ever held at Anfield. I'm sure you would only get this kind of response on Merseyside.
"It was typical of football fans in this city, and our former players, that they'd get behind the event and make it such a fantastic occasion. They all deserve a lot of credit."