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Scottish Sun
a minute ago
- Scottish Sun
Liverpool legends pay touching tribute to late Diogo Jota at first Anfield fixture since forward's tragic death
Thompson is the latest in a series of Liverpool legends to pay their respects to Jota Heartfelt tribute Liverpool legends pay touching tribute to late Diogo Jota at first Anfield fixture since forward's tragic death Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LIVERPOOL legend Phil Thompson took to the pitch in a touching tribute to Liverpool forward Diogo Jota at the first Anfield fixture since his tragic passing. Thompson was joined by Athletic Bilbao president Jon Uriarte ahead of their clubs' friendly double-header on Monday night as the pair laid wreaths in memory of Jota and his brother Andre Silva. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 8 Liverpool legend Phil Thompson led a touching tribute at Anfield in honour of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva Credit: AFP 8 He was joined by Athletic Bilbao president Jon Uriarte, with the two teams playing today in back-to-back friendlies Credit: Reuters 8 The pair laid wreaths in front of the Kop end in remembrance of Jota Credit: Reuters 8 The games mark the first time that Liverpool have played at Anfield since Jota's passing Credit: PA The duo carried the wreaths amid applause and Jota chants from the packed Anfield crowd, before laying them down in front of goal at the Kop end. The tribute marks the Reds' first return to their home since Jota's sad passing in early July. A similar tribute from a Liverpool legend has also been performed at each of Liverpool's past two fixtures, during their Asia pre-season tour. Sir Kenny Dalglish laid a wreath in Hong Kong ahead of their contest with AC Milan, while Ian Rush took on the responsibility in the build-up to their friendly with Yokohama in Japan. Jota and his brother were driving in northern Spain last month when a blowout reportedly caused the Portuguese star to lose control of his Lamborghini and veer off the road. The incident left the football world in mourning with tributes pouring in for the 28-year-old from all corners of the globe. Liverpool have since retired his number 20 shirt at the club in his honour. There were concerns ahead of the game that the match and its heartfelt tribute would not be able to go ahead at all. Parts of Anfield had to be evacuated less than an hour before kick-off due to a an emergency alarm. A club statement read: "Shortly before 15:50pm there was a false alarm in the Anfield Main Stand, leading to supporters in that area of the stadium to be temporarily evacuated." A Month Without Diogo Jota: Rute Cardoso's Heartfelt Tribute 8 Jota's death was felt around Liverpool and in the wider footballing world Credit: AFP 8 Tributes poured in for the Portuguese forward, while memorials continue to be held around Anfield since the tragedy struck last month Credit: Reuters 8 A flood of Liverpool fans were forced to leave Anfield as a false alarm prompted an evacuation of the main stand Credit: PA 8 Once the match got underway there was little delay before the Reds found themselves two up, courtesy of young Rio Ngumoha and Darwin Nunez Credit: Shutterstock Editorial There was no delay to kick-off in the end and the plans went ahead uninterrupted. Fans did not have to wait long once the game kicked off, with youngster Rio Ngumoha opening the scoring inside two minutes with a beautiful curling strike. Darwin Nunez would double their advantage minutes later, making a heart symbol in celebration. Nunez previously honoured former team-mate Jota by mimicking his signature celebration after scoring in a friendly last month.
BBC News
a minute ago
- BBC News
'Excellent prospect' Ngumoha stars for Liverpool - but who is he?
Liverpool's second youngest ever player Rio Ngumoha shone again in pre-season to get fans wondering if he could be part of the first team this England Under-17 forward, who turns 17 later this month, scored and assisted in their Anfield return against Athletic Reds were playing the Basque side in two pre-season friendlies - at 17:00 and 20:00 was a mostly second string XI that started the first game, with Ngumoha on the left wing - and he caught the eye as he has done all scored in just the second minute as he ran onto a loose ball in his own half before racing forward and curling a fine effort in from 20 yards three minutes later he nodded a Ben Doak cross down for Darwin Nunez to convert from close fans were singing his name as Curtis Jones urged them to show their he caused the La Liga side all kinds of problems with his dribbling and trickery in the 4-1 and Harvey Elliott scored the other 16-year-old left to a standing ovation midway through the second half."He is such an excellent prospect," said ex-Reds defender Gary Gillespie on LFC TV."The difficult is managing expectations but it's hard to put a lid on it."Ngumoha's performance came on the back of an assist against AC Milan and goal against Yokohama F. Marinos in Asian looks a fine talent, if raw, and will be hoping more first-team competitive games are on the January, Ngumoha became the youngest player to start a match, and the second youngest to play, for Liverpool - aged 16 years and 135 days old - in the 4-0 friendly win over Accrington in the FA that was his only first-team appearance and he never made the bench for a Premier League could well change this season, especially with so many changes in the Liverpool front sad death of centre forward Diogo Jota in a car crash has been the main focus of Liverpool's pre-season. There were tributes to him before and during the game at Luis Diaz was sold to Bayern Munich and Nunez is a target for Saudi Pro League exit for Nunez would mean the Reds' only really strong frontline options would be Mohamed Salah, new signing Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo - giving a chance for somebody like Ngumoha to break is unless they managed to sign Newcastle striker Alexander Isak. An initial bid of £110m has been rejected."I'm not trying to rush because I'm still only young," said Ngumoha last week."But at the same time, I just want to show the manager what I can do and not get too complacent. I just want to do bigger and better things for me and the club."Ngumoha is not actually a Liverpool academy product, having only joined Liverpool from Chelsea's youth set-up last the time Blues legend John Terry wrote "this boy is and will be a top player".He's not looking wrong.
Daily Mirror
2 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Rio Ngumoha sends Arne Slot message he can't ignore as Liverpool wonderkid makes Kop impact
LIVERPOOL 4-1 ATHLETIC BILBAO: Rio Ngumoha was the star of the show as a second-string Reds side saw off their La Liga opponents in the first of two Anfield friendlies Mark is the Sports Features Editor for Mirror Online. Having started out at the Liverpool Echo he began working for the Mirror in London in 2016 following previous stints working for likes of the Premier League, Bleacher Report and several betting companies. After moving back to Liverpool in 2024 he specialises in Merseyside, Manchester and Welsh football, cricket and knowing for too many useless answers to trivia questions. Anfield was a little more sparse than usual as Liverpool's first friendly of the evening against Athletic Bilbao kicked off due to an earlier evacuation, but even amongst the reduced numbers there would have been those who didn't know who Rio Ngumoha was. If they got in in time, they do now. Just 81 seconds were on the clock when Ngumoha, who won't turn 17 until the end of this month, picked up the ball inside his own half and drove at the visiting defenders in much the same way he had against Yokohama F Marinos in Japan last week. Only this was at the Kop end. A touch of nerves for the teen as he bore down on goal then? Not a bit of it. Ngumoha opened his body up and caressed an effort into the far corner that a player twice his age his would be proud of. It was yet another example of why Arne Slot can't ignore the talents of the former Chelsea youngster when selecting his first-team squads this season. And you're starting to suspect he won't. Ngumoha's sole taste of first-team action in the last campaign came in an FA Cup third round tie against Accrington Stanley, but after scoring what is already his third goal of this pre-season then there are many calling for Slot to throw him into the meaningful matches soon and more often. The Reds have sold Luis Diaz after all, and so there is a vacancy on their left wing, and everyone has to start somewhere. Lamine Yamal recently turned 18 and has 106 games for Barcelona under his belt, and... well we should probably stop there shouldn't we. But while Liverpool are still determined to treat the young Ngumoha with kid gloves, but he is being treated like a first-team player. He was interviewed by club media in Japan, and notably now sports his first name on the back of his shirt rather than his surname - clearly something he felt emboldened enough to request. After his goal to get the Anfield crowd on their feet he was soon turning provider when he nodded down for Darwin Nunez to apply a simple finishing touch. In celebration the name Rio was bellowed down from the Kop and not Darwin. Ngumoha would remain pivotal to how Liverpool attacked, with his stepovers and rolling of the ball under his feet delighting the crowd until his 66th minute replacement to a standing ovation. The Reds were 4-0 up by that point thanks to further goals from Ben Doak and Harvey Elliott, eventually winning 4-1, but none of those strikes were as special as the opener nor the player who scored it. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
