Liverpool and the Preston North End players and fans inside Deepdale Stadium paid their respects to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva ahead of kick-off in the Reds' first pre-season friendly of the summer.
In emotional scenes, You'll Never Walk Alone was sung ahead of the game kicking off. Each player is wearing a black armband in recognition of Jota and Silva, with everyone inside the ground coming together for a poignant moment.
A wreath was laid in front of the Liverpool away end. A minute’s silence was perfectly observed in Jota and Silva’s memory, with digital tributes being displayed on screen and across pitchside LEDs. Preston has also created a commemorative matchday programme which features written tributes to Jota and Silva.
Arne Slot and his players have been coming to terms with the loss of their teammate, with the Reds boss sending a message to fans ahead of the fixture.
"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," Slot told Liverpool's official website ahead of the game.
"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?
Liverpool fans in attendance at Preston North End.
Liverpool fans in attendance at Preston North End. (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
"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."
Earlier in the week, Slot and his wife visited Anfield to pay their respects at the memorial that has formed outside the stadium.
"It’s almost impossible to put anything into words in this moment of time," he said. "Both of us felt it was the right thing to do to go there and pay our respects, not only me but definitely also my wife.
Liverpool fans pay tribute to Diogo Jota against Preston
"To pay our respects to him, to his brother, to the family and to see – talking about pride again – the way our fans have shown how much they care about this club.
"After we won the league against Tottenham, how much they love the club, when we were having the parade, this is the club: if you play for this club it’s unbelievable when you win things, but in moments of tragedy I think it’s also unbelievable what these fans are doing.
"So, the fans cannot have better players to play for them but us as players and staff can’t have better fans to support us. But it’s not only the fans. In the parade, it was only the Liverpool fans I assume.
"Now this time it was the complete city, it wasn’t only Liverpool, it was also the Everton fans. And not only this city but also all around the country and in the world. To represent this club in this city now even means more to me and to my wife than it did before."