Tributes were paid prior to Preston North End vs Liverpool on Sunday
It’s very rare that the hairs on the back of your neck stand up during a pre-season friendly. Sunday’s contest between Preston North End and Liverpool always promised to be filled with emotion; the Lilywhites had a responsibility to honour the lives of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, which they did with class.
Supporters had been asked to take their seats inside Deepdale by 2:50pm and both sets of fans obliged, in the roaring Lancashire sunshine. Upon arrival, Diogo Jota’s chant could be heared from outside the stadium with Liverpool’s sold out away end in the Bill Shankly Kop bellowing it out as anticipated.
That continued for several minutes before Claudia Rose Maguire took to the field to sing, firstly, ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ before ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’. As the latter started, PNE captain Ben Whiteman emerged from the tunnel carrying a wreath and walked the length of the pitch, to lay it in front of the away end and stand guard.
Preston’s number four was visibly emotional, with it an incredibly moving few minutes for those inside the ground. A minute’s silence followed before the game kicked off, with all players wearing black arm bands. Fans could be seen reading the match day programme, given free of charge and dedicated to Diogo and Andre.
In the 20th minute of the match, applause broke out around the stadium with a picture of the brothers - during their time together at Porto - displayed on the big screen above the Kop stand. Throughout the game there were several renditions of Diogo’s chant, which seemed to get louder each time but always just as powerful.
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