There were emotional scenes at Anfield as Liverpool prepared to play their first home game since the tragic passing of Diogo Jota.
The Portuguese forward was killed in a car accident in Spain en route back to pre-season training at his club, and he died along with his brother Andre Silva.
Liverpool paid tribute to him in their friendly match against Preston, as well as on their tour of Asia, where they faced AC Milan and Yokohama F. Marinos.
On their return to Anfield, however, tears were shed as former Liverpool defender Phil Thompson and Athletic Club president Jon Uriarte laid wreaths in front of the Kop 10 minutes before the Reds kicked off their first of two friendly clashes against the Basque side.
Fans watched on holding scarves, banners, and shirts aloft with a smattering of chants of Jota’s name as Thompson and Uriarte lay the wreaths on the six-yard line, kissing them before setting them on the pitch.
The Merseyside club’s anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ then blared as the two teams took to the field, and there was an air of sadness in the supporters’ chorus as they joined in to sing along.
The tributes continued into the game, as players, staff, and fans alike all rose to their feet and applauded, with the game stopped, in the 20th minute to pay further respect to Jota, who wore the No20 shirt during his five-year spell at the club.
Liverpool cruised to a comfortable win in the first match of the evening as both sides named second-choice squads. The 16-year-old starlet Rio Ngumoha inspired a fast start for the Reds, scoring with a classy solo effort with the match less than two minutes old before teeing up Darwin Nunez to add a second shortly after. Their lead was cemented as Alex Padilla knocked Ben Doak’s cross into his own net with the match approaching half-time.
The second half was a more lethargic affair as Athletic’s heads went down, and Harvey Elliot wasted little time in finding Liverpool’s fourth. There was slight consolation for the visitors, though, as striker Gorka Guruzeta capped a frustrating showing as he was well placed to head home from Luca Stephenson’s miss-hit clearance.
Slot plumped for a much stronger XI in the evening’s encounter, naming most of what could be interpreted as his first-choice side.
New arrivals Hugo Ekitike, Milos Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, and Jeremie Frimpong all got a taste of the Anfield atmosphere, and all four impressed on their home debuts.
Ekitike was the provider of the first goal, setting up Mohamed Salah after a byline burst and cut-back.
Crafty attacking midfielder Oihan Sancet bundled home a shock equaliser for Athletic Club as the Basque side caught the Premier League champions cold with a set piece on the half-hour.
Cody Gakpo restored Liverpool’s advantage as he followed in Ryan Gravenberch’s powerful effort from range to tap home the rebound, but he was then at fault as he put through his own net from another Bilbao corner, as Maroan Sannadi made first contact at the near post.
However, the Dutchman made amends, netting his second on 70 minutes as his shot squirmed in under Unai Simon.
There was still time for Salah to blaze a penalty over the top after Wataru Endo was bundled over in the box by Dani Vivian, but that did not trouble the scoreline in the end, as Slot’s side held on for a second win of the afternoon.
