Liverpool players pay respects to Hillsborough victims 30 years on

Liverpool’s players paid their respects to the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster on the 30th anniversary of the tragedy.

Manager Jurgen Klopp and his first-team squad visited the permanent memorial at Anfield on Monday, followed separately by members of the youth team and women’s squad.

The city itself came to a standstill with a minute’s silence held at 3.06pm, the time the 1989 FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest was stopped.

Traffic going through the tunnels under the Mersey was stopped for one minute and the Mersey ferries marked the anniversary by sounding their horns, while families of the victims held a memorial service at Liverpool Cathedral.

Klopp’s side wore black armbands in their 2-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday, prior to which a minute’s silence was held.

“Parents losing children, children losing parents, brothers and sisters losing siblings, friends losing friends; we know this is part of life, but we do not associate it with going to a football match to support your team. Even now, that doesn’t make sense,” Klopp wrote in his programme notes for the game.

“Most of the players you watch today were not born when Hillsborough happened.

“As a club we have an obligation to ensure that we do everything we can to ensure they understand why it will always matter so much and why it is central to who we are, what we do and who we represent.

“We will reflect, we will remember and then we will do our best to honour through our actions.”