Both Preston and Liverpool paid tribute to Diogo Jota during the pre-season fixture at Deepdale
A big screen shows a tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva during Preston vs Liverpool
A big screen shows a tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva during Preston vs Liverpool
(Image: Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)
ITV commentator Joe Speight showed a touch of class as he paid a fitting tribute to Diogo Jota near the end of Liverpool's pre-season win at Preston North End on Sunday.
It was an emotional afternoon for the Reds, as they played their first fixture since the passing of Jota 10 days ago. The 28-year-old died alongside his brother Andre Silva following a car accident on the A-52 in Zamora, Spain.
Liverpool fans sang Jota's chant throughout most of the game and that continued up until after full-time. "He's a lad from Portugal, better than Figo, don't you know? Oh, his name is Diogo!"
And as the travelling faithful sang Jota's song in stoppage-time, Speight, who was the lead commentator on ITV alongside co-commentator Stephen Warnock, paid a fitting tribute.
Speight remained silent from the 91st minute and up until the 92nd minute to allow Jota's chant to be heard interrupted, as the Liverpool fans remembered a star known as one of their own.
The ITV commentator spoke in the final stages to narrate a late chance but wouldn't have intervened apart from that, as he marked the moment with his own silence, which lasted around 60 seconds.
It was one of several special tributes that were made to remember Jota, who scored 65 goals in 182 matches for Liverpool. Claudia Rose Maguire – wife of former Preston player Sean - sung a rendition of Can't Help Falling In Love and then You'll Never Walk Alone, before the match, sparking emotional scenes.
An emotional Preston captain Ben Whiteman then walked out with a wreath in honour of Jota, and his brother, Andre, and walked the length of the Deepdale pitch to lay it in front of the Liverpool fans. The North End skipper was greeted with a loud applause, before both sides took part in a minute's silence.
As for the game itself, Liverpool won 3-1. Conor Bradley, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo scored for the Reds, while Liam Lindsey netted for the home side. Arne Slot's side kickstart their Premier League campaign on Friday, August 16 against Bournemouth, where there is no doubt going to be more tributes to Jota.
Before Liverpool's trip to Preston, Slot outlined the impact Jota's sad passing has had. "First of all, it had a lot of impact on us but nothing compared to the loss that is felt by his parents, his wife Rute and his children and his other family. The first feeling we all have is of sadness," he said.
"The second feeling that comes to my mind is pride. I think his parents and Rute can be so proud of the player and the person he was – mainly the person. I’ve spoken to many of his teammates, I’ve spoken to many staff members, and they all rate him so high and all say how nice of a person he was. That he was always himself.
"So they should and will be very proud if they could hear what all his teammates and all the staff members would say about him."
"Second of all, I think our fans can be so proud about the players we have at this club. They’ve seen them winning the league, that was a great achievement, but what they did in the last week with the togetherness they had, how they conducted themselves when we were in Portugal together, the fans couldn’t have asked for more from our players when it comes to how great human beings they are.
"Those are the two emotions. Of course, the first emotion of sadness is much stronger than the one of being proud. But it’s the both of them."