Jordan Henderson has lauded Liverpool fans for their generous backing of the 'Fans Supporting Foodbanks' initiative.
Thousands of supporters chose to boycott the Reds' pay-per-view fixture with Sheffield United last weekend, instead choosing to donate the £14.95 fee to charity.
Their efforts have raised over £129,000 for Fans Supporting Foodbanks, an Everton and Liverpool supporter-backed initiative to tackle food poverty in the city.
While the Premier League's pay-per-view plan has been labelled "disastrous", Henderson has hailed his side's fans for turning "negativity into a positive".
“I’ve said it before many times and it’s not cliche: our fans do make a difference," the Liverpool captain wrote in the match-day programme for Saturday evening's clash with West Ham.
"And we’ve had yet more evidence of that over the last week with our fans raising an incredible amount of money to support the food banks in Liverpool."
Henderson added: "The fact that our supporters have taken this generosity online during a global crisis tells you everything that you need to know.
“I know that many of you have not been happy about pay-per-view costs but have turned this negativity into a positive and in doing so have shown the kind of solidarity that is going to continue to be needed as the crisis carries on.
“I’m not able to tell you in words how proud I am of you and to play for you.
“As players, we thrive on the appreciation of supporters, but right now our supporters should know that we appreciate you more than ever.
“At some point, and hopefully one not too far away, we will be able to show this in person, but until that moment arrives we will show our appreciation in the best way possible - by continuing to give our all on the pitch so that every Liverpool fan who is following from home knows that even if you are not with us in person, we are still playing for you.”
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