Liverpool players and fans paid an emotional tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, on Friday at the first competitive match at Anfield since their death last month.
Ahead of kickoff in the Premier League game against Bournemouth, fans held up placards to spell out “DJ20” and “AS30” in two of the stands during a period of silence in honor of the Portuguese players, who were killed in a car crash in Spain. Players from the Liverpool team stood arm-in-arm around the center circle.
Players from both clubs wore black armbands, as did Liverpool manager Arne Slot and members of his backroom staff.
Before that, there was a rendition of “You'll Never Walk Alone” as banners, flags and scarves commemorating Jota were waved in the crowd. A picture of Jota and Silva was shown on the big screen.
Jota played for Liverpool for the past five seasons, winning the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup, and the club has retired his No. 20 jersey number.
Liverpool will have a permanent memorial sculpture at Anfield to honor Jota.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
