LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND -- Liverpool chairman Tom Werner believes the opening of the new Main Stand at Anfield means the club have closed the gap on their rivals in terms of generating matchday revenue.
Liverpool officially opened the redeveloped stand during an event on Friday ahead of this weekend's home fixture against Premier League champions Leicester City.
The extra 8,500 seats -- more than half of which have been made available for hospitality -- have increased the stadium's overall capacity to around 54,000.
Liverpool have been behind clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal in generating matchday revenue for a number of years.
But Werner told reporters at Anfield: "Today was a step forward. There is still a gap, but in the end it's about the performance on the pitch.
"You can see Leicester City won the league last year without the highest payroll. It's all about winning football, and I think this [the Main Stand] will certainly contribute to that.
"The atmosphere has always been unique at Anfield -- it's an extraordinary place and hopefully the noise tomorrow will be even louder than it's been in some of the great matches we've experienced."
Werner believes the redevelopment of the Main Stand shows how committed the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group, are to the Liverpool cause.
He added: "It was our mantra to say we would not over-promise, and I think today proves we were focused on a stadium solution.
"I'm extremely proud of the results and I cannot wait for everyone to be here tomorrow because it's going to be a fantastic atmosphere."
Meanwhile, managing director Ian Ayre said Liverpool were looking at plans to expand the stadium even further but added that was no timescale.
There is a possibility of redeveloping the Anfield Road End to boost capacity by a further 6,000.
"We've always been very clear -- as we were in the building of the Main Stand -- that we had to go through a process which was all about certainty," Ayre said. "It was about having the right economic model, the right design and having the right solution.
"That will be the same [for the Anfield Road End]. We don't want to promise something until we are ready to deliver it."