LIVERPOOL, England :Emotional Liverpool talisman Mohamed Salah buried his face in his hands as the Anfield crowd gave a heart-wrenching rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in tribute to beloved forward Diogo Jota ahead of the Premier League season-opener on Friday.
The reigning champions honoured the Portugal forward with a minute’s silence before the kick-off against Bournemouth as Jota’s death in a car crash alongside his brother Andre Silva last month cast a sombre cloud over the pre-game proceedings.
The players stood arm-in-arm with heads bowed, while fans wiped away tears and the words “Rest in peace Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, you’ll never walk alone,” were displayed around the pitch.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot reflected on how the squad had coped following the death of their teammate.
“The squad is far better than I expected five or six weeks ago,” the Dutchman told Sky Sports before kick-off.
“At the moment in time you feel, will it ever be possible to play again or will it ever be possible to get them going again?
“But as I said many times they have conducted themselves so, so well in that period of time, when we first heard the news (about Jota’s death) and afterwards.
“On both sides they were great. As human beings but also they understood that they needed to be professional footballers again so we had to work hard and that is what they started doing.”
Jota scarves and banners dotted the crowd, while “Diogo” shirts dominated those worn by fans pouring into the stadium.
Fans in two stands held placards that spelt out “DJ 20” and “AS 30” in Portugal’s red, green and white colours.
The Liverpool players will wear a “Forever 20” emblem on their shirts this season, while the club has retired Jota’s No. 20 shirt across all levels of the club, including the women’s team and academy, after consultation with Jota’s family.
After 20 minutes and 20 seconds of Friday’s game, the Anfield crowd stood and cheered and sang their Jota song, set to the tune of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising”.
