Many Liverpool fans at Anfield said it was their fondest memory of Jota in a Liverpool shirt
Roger McBurnie paying tribute to Diogo Jota outside Anfield with his wife Amber and children Freddie, Max and Farrah
Roger McBurnie paying tribute to Diogo Jota outside Anfield with his wife Amber and children Freddie, Max and Farrah
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
There was one moment in Diogo Jota’s glorious Liverpool career that mourning fans picked out more than most as their favourite. Yesterday morning, it was announced that Jota died in a car accident, aged 28, along with his brother Andre Silva, 26.
The brothers were in the Zamora region of Sanabria when the incident occurred. Firefighters attended the scene on the A52, which is known as the Palacios de Sanabria, after the vehicle caught fire, according to the Zamora provincial council. Local media in the region report that emergency services were called to the scene soon before 1am on Thursday morning - with the vehicle heading towards nearby Benavente.
Police said they were investigating the possibility that the star's Lamborghini left the road because of a tyre blowout while overtaking. Tributes from the football world and beyond flooded in for the father of three, who had married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso just 11 days ago. The bodies of Jota and Andre will be laid to rest at a service in Portugal tomorrow morning.
Throughout yesterday, thousands of fans made their way to Anfield to pay tribute to the Portuguese international. The mood was sombre as fans paid their respects to the footballer.
As the ECHO spoke to fans, there was one memory more than most that kept cropping up. This was Jota’s late winner against Tottenham Hotspur in a dramatic 4-3 win on April 30 2023.
Liverpool raced into a 3-0 lead within the first 15 minutes at Anfield that day but Spurs gradually grew into the game. In the 93rd minute, ex-Everton forward Richarlison made it 3-3 and celebrated with the away support.
Within seconds of Liverpool kicking-off again, Tottenham won possession. Substitute forward Lucas Moura then attempted to play the ball back to defender Christian Romero.
But the ball was sloppy and landed at Jota’s feet in the inside left channel close to the box. He then smashed a low shot into the Tottenham goal to put Liverpool back in front. As Anfield went wild, Jota calmly sat down and mimicked the use of a video game controller, a reference to his love of the FIFA/EA FC series of games.
When asked for his favourite memory of Jota, James Partridge, 39, who lives in Mossley Hill, said: “The winner against Tottenham in the 4-3 under Klopp a couple of years ago.
James Partridge also said Jota's winner against Spurs was his favourite memory
James Partridge also said Jota's winner against Spurs was his favourite memory
“It looked like they had stolen a draw. Richarlison was celebrating. Then we went straight up the other end and scored with Jota. He did his PlayStation celebration. He popped up with so many important goals but that’s one that comes to the forefront of my mind.”
Kelly Parsons, 40, from Aintree, said: “The game against Spurs is the one that comes up for me. We somehow won it in the end thanks to him.”
Roger McBurnie, 24, had already arranged to travel over from Belfast to walk around Anfield with his wife Amber and children Freddie, Max and Farrah before the news broke.
Roger said: “He was a great player and he’ll be very fondly remembered. He was a joy to watch. I’ve sort of explained what’s happened to my kids but I don’t think they’ve fully understood it.
“There’s so many great moments, but one of my most favourite memories is the one against Spurs. When Richarlison scored the equaliser, he went straight down the pitch and got the winner."
Jota doing his trademark PlayStation celebration with teammates Darwin Nunez and Jordan Henderson after scoring the winner against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on April 30, 2023
Jota doing his trademark PlayStation celebration with teammates Darwin Nunez and Jordan Henderson after scoring the winner against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on April 30, 2023
Joe Holloway, 16, from Walton, said: “I’ve always liked him as a player. He was great on the ball and was great at scoring goals. My favourite is probably the winner against Tottenham. But there’s so many to choose from.”
The 2022/23 season was a difficult one for both Jota and Liverpool. Jota went into the season injured. He returned to the side in the autumn but got injured again in the autumn, causing him to miss the winter World Cup with Portugal.
Liverpool generally struggled for consistency with injuries and an aging side, eventually finishing outside of the Champions League for the first time in seven years. But Jota’s winner was a massive highlight for supporters.
In his match report after the game, theECHO’s LFC correspondent Paul Gorst said: “It's not been a vintage campaign by any stretch of the most red-tinted imagination but Liverpool have still given their fans plenty to cheer across the course of this strange old season. This was just the latest instalment.
“And perhaps, just maybe, those chaotic scenes were made all that bit sweeter by the sight of arch-nemesis Richarlison with his head in his hands merely moments after the former Everton forward was celebrating his own effort with a shirtless chicken strut and a shushing of the home ends for their merciless booing. There was absolutely no quietening them after Jota had rifled home.
“As Ryan Mason's charges poured forward in search of a leveller, they had it through Richarlison after substitute Darwin Nunez's marking left an awful lot to be desired.
Jota sent Anfield wild with his winning goal
Jota sent Anfield wild with his winning goal
“The Brazilian wasted no time giving it back to the supporters who had jeered him to high Heaven upon his arrival and it looked like his intervention would be enough to seal a dramatic point.
“Within seconds, his heart would be broken, however, when Jota latched on to a slack touch from Lucas Moura after a punt from Alisson. The Portugal international took his season's tally to five with a sublime left-footed finish across Forster to set up the mother of celebrations from the Kop.
“Klopp, whose previous pitch-invading celebratory antics have become iconic at Liverpool, could only pull up nursing a hamstring complaint this time as everyone around him cheered the match-winning fourth.”
Other memories recalled by fans including his final ever goal which came against Everton in April and his role in the 2022 League and FA Cup finals.