Liverpool stars pay tribute to Diogo Jota in emotional scenes at first match since tragic death

Diogo Jota passed away alongside his brother in a car crash in northern Spain on July 3, with Liverpool returning to action for their first pre-season match 10 days later

Liverpool stars paid their respects to Diogo Jota in emotional tributes before the Reds’ first match since the forward’s tragic death.

Jota was killed in a car crash in northern Spain alongside his brother Andre Silva on July 3, with a shocked football world paying tribute to the former Wolves star in the days since.

A mass of bouquets, scarves and t-shirts have been left outside Anfield in tribute to Jota, while respects have also been paid outside his former home ground Molineux.

But it was at Preston North End’s Deepdale where the tributes were keenly felt on Sunday, as Reds fans brought Jota flags, t-shirts and scarves and repeatedly sang Jota’s song.

Preston had produced a special free matchday programme for the match in honour of both Jota and Andre, and performances of Preston anthem ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ and Liverpool’s ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ were sang before the game.

Liverpool, led by captain Mohamed Salah, then emerged for an impeccably observed minute’s silence before the match, with both sets of players sporting black armbands.

Earlier Reds boss Arne Slot had outlined how the club will always carry Jota in their thoughts as they return to action, something he believes the Portuguese would have wanted them to do.

“Nothing seems to be important if we think of what has happened,” said Slot “But we are a football club and we need to train and we need to play again, if we want it or not.

“What I’ve said to the players, I can say it here as well. It’s very difficult to find the right words because we constantly debate what is appropriate. What is appropriate in our actions? What is appropriate [for] what we have to say? Can we train again? Can we laugh again? Can we be angry if there’s a wrong decision?

“And I’ve said to them, maybe the best thing for us to do is handle this situation like Jota was. And what I meant with that is that Jota was always himself, it didn’t matter if he was talking to me, to his teammates, to the staff, he was always himself.

“So let us try to be ourselves as well. So, if we want to laugh we laugh; if we want to cry we’re going to cry. If they want to train they can train, if they don’t want to train they can not train. But be yourself, don’t think you have to be different than your emotions tell you.”

Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.