Having lost to Forest, the Reds pieced together a 26-match unbeaten streak in the Premier League that ultimately made the title a formality.
Confirmation came with four games to spare in late April when, amid unforgettable scenes at Anfield, Tottenham Hotspur were routed 5-1.
“The week we became champions, I think that will always stay in your memory. I will never forget it,” Hulshoff says with a smile.
“The moment we came to the stadium and you saw the amount of people, it was crazy. We sit at the front of the bus so we had the best view! I think the total picture of the day is that you can never forget it and I’m very happy with the videos and photos I have. You could feel that something special would happen.
“Then you go 1-0 down and for 10 seconds, you feel the crowd go quiet. But after 10 seconds they picked it up again and this was the moment I felt, ‘We will never, never, never lose this game.’
“And then you can start to celebrate and enjoy it the moment we scored the 4-1. That was when I started to look around and you see all the people, you see people who are there with their young kids, and you see how happy they were and that makes you very proud.”
Hulshoff’s next words provide an insight into the manner in which he and Slot go about their jobs – the approach they take and also the responsibility they feel.
He continues: “That, for me, is the nicest thing about football: if I look how happy the people are with the things that we do all together.
“That is also why I became a coach – and I know it is the same for Arne because we have known each other for a very long time – because for me a football stadium, you can compare it with a theatre.
“So, recently we went to see Bruce Springsteen in Manchester and I think he is the best example. I am a big fan of Bruce and what I like, what I have always liked, is that people are always so happy to go to his concerts. Everybody is smiling, everybody is dancing and for me, it’s the same as a coach – that is what you want.
“That’s also why I love to do attacking football because if you lose by playing attacking football and working hard, people can still go home and tell their family that they had a nice evening.
“Of course, at a top club you can never lose but sometimes you do and if you lose by still playing attacking football, by still having shots on target, by working so, so hard, then nobody will blame you.
“That is for me like a theatre or a show, that is what I compare always with Bruce: the people, we want to give them a nice evening and that is, for me, part of football.”
