Liverpool beat Preston North End 3-1 in their first match since the death of forward Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash with his brother André Silva on 3 July in Zamora, Spain.
Before kick-off, Preston captain Ben Whiteman laid a wreath in front of the travelling Liverpool fans as both sets of supporters sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone”. Players wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence, while the stadium rose for a second, louder chorus of Jota’s own song in the 20th minute, the number he wore.
Conor Bradley opened the scoring, looking skyward in muted celebration. Darwin Núñz added two more goals, each time marking them with Jota’s trademark arm-fold celebration. Preston pulled one back late, but the night belonged to memories and solidarity.
Manager Arne Slot told his players to “be yourself” as they grieve. “If we want to laugh, we laugh; if we want to cry, we cry,” he said.
Slot added that Jota “always delivered when things were really difficult”, urging the squad to follow that example.
Liverpool have retired the No. 20 shirt and will pay Jota’s full contract to his family. Several senior players who attended the funeral in Portugal watched from the stands, leaving a young side led by Mohamed Salah to start the healing process.
The club now head to the United States for more pre-season fixtures, carrying Jota “in our hearts, in our thoughts, wherever we go”, Slot said.
