Liverpool: Paul Heckingbottom proud as Preston help commemorate Diogo Jota with emotional pre-season tributes | OneFootball

The Reds’ first pre-season friendly on the summer was a mere sideshow

Manager Paul Heckingbottom is proud Preston were able to help commemorate Diogo Jota by hosting Liverpool in a pre-season friendly on Sunday.

A touching pre-match tribute, which included a live performance of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ and a wreath laying ceremony, was followed by a 3-1 win for the Premier League champions.

For Heckingbottom, it was a fitting tribute to Jota.

“I’ll never forget the morning we saw the news,” Heckingbottom said at full-time. “The whole training ground stopped. When you see news like that, it puts everything in perspective. Its a reminder to everyone of how fragile life is.

“We knew the eyes of the world were on us, the eyes of football were on us. We wanted to represent ourselves and the wider football world in the correct way and pay our respects in the correct manner. I hope we were able to do that, and that that came across to everyone affected.”

He continued, adding that he hoped the result would help Liverpool process their grief.

“I hope this has begun their healing process,” Heckingbottom said. “I hope they feel better for having that game. It is a step closer to where they needed to get themselves to without a doubt, but I am proud of everyone, the way we showed our respect.

“I felt we were representing more than ourselves today. It was a game of football. I credit both sets of players, both sets of staff. It was a proper game when the whistle went, and you have to do that.

“We are all very lucky to play a fantastic game that we all love, and you saw when the whistle blew just how important it is to play a game of football properly and win.

“And believe me, Diogo, being against him a few times, was that type of player as well. The game was played in the right way for him, for everyone involved.”

Liverpool return to pre-season action in two weeks, facing AC Milan in Hong Kong.