Liverpool honoured the 97 with a series of tributes on the 36th anniversary of Hillsborough on Tuesday, with Arne Slot helping lay at wreath at the memorial.
Tuesday, April 15 marked 36 years since the tragedy at Hillsborough that left countless families broken and saw 97 supporters unlawfully killed.
The events of that FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest have been felt over more than three-and-a-half decades since.
And that is why is continues to be of paramount importance that those at the club and throughout football mark the anniversary with fitting tributes to the 97, their families and the Hillsborough survivors.
On Tuesday morning Slot – in his first season as head coach – joined Virgil van Dijk in laying a wreath at the Hillsborough Memorial outside Anfield.
Academy coaches Barry Lewtas and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, U21s captain Lucas Pitt, U18s captain Amara Nallo and women’s interim manager Amber Whiteley and captain Niamh Fahey also laid wreaths along with ambassadors Ian Rush and Natasha Dowie.
Players and staff then returned to the AXA Training Centre – and for the women’s side, the AXA Training Ground at Melwood – to observe a period of silence before training.
Further tributes were laid at the respective memorials with Slot and his players taking time to reflect on the impact of Hillsborough and the lives sadly lost.
The entire club took in a minute’s silence at 3.06pm – the exact time the match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was stopped.
At Anfield, 97 red balloons were then released to commemorate those supporters who passed away on that day in 1989 and in the years since.
Liverpool marked the 36th anniversary of Hillsborough with a period of silence before the 2-1 win over West Ham on Sunday – the closest fixture to the date at Anfield – along with tributes in the stands and on the cover of the matchday programme.
Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, captain Van Dijk said: “It was about the Hillsborough anniversary, that’s the main thing today.
“The remembrance of all the victims, that’s the main thing.”
In memory of the 97 supporters who went to watch their beloved Reds but never returned. May they rest in peace and never be forgotten.
John Anderson, 62Colin Ashcroft, 19James Aspinall, 18Kester Ball, 16Gerard Baron, 67Simon Bell, 17Barry Bennett, 26David Benson, 22David Birtle, 22Tony Bland, 22Paul Brady, 21Andrew Brookes, 26Carl Brown, 18David Brown, 25Henry Burke, 47Peter Burkett, 24Paul Carlile, 19Raymond Chapman, 50Gary Church, 19Joseph Clark, 29Paul Clark, 18Gary Collins, 22Stephen Copoc, 20Tracey Cox, 23James Delaney, 19Andrew Devine, 55Christopher Devonside, 18Christopher Edwards, 29Vincent Fitzsimons, 34Thomas Fox, 21Jon-Paul Gilhooley, 10Barry Glover, 27Ian Glover, 20Derrick Godwin, 24Roy Hamilton, 33Philip Hammond, 14Eric Hankin, 33Gary Harrison, 27Stephen Harrison, 31Peter Harrison, 15David Hawley, 39James Hennessy, 29Paul Hewitson, 26Carl Hewitt, 17Nicholas Hewitt, 16Sarah Hicks, 19Victoria Hicks, 15Gordon Horn, 20Arthur Horrocks, 41Thomas Howard, 39Thomas Howard Jr, 14Eric Hughes, 42Alan Johnston, 29Christine Jones, 27Gary Jones, 18Richard Jones, 25Nicholas Joynes, 27Anthony Kelly, 29Michael Kelly, 38Carl Lewis, 18David Mather, 19Brian Mathews, 38Francis McAllister, 27John McBrien, 18Marion McCabe, 21Joseph McCarthy, 21Peter McDonnell, 21Alan McGlone, 28Keith McGrath, 17Paul Murray, 14Lee Nicol, 14Stephen O’Neill, 17Jonathon Owens, 18Williams Pemberton, 23Carl Rimmer, 21David Rimmer, 38Graham Roberts, 24Steven Robinson, 17Henry Rogers, 17Colin Sefton, 23Inger Shah, 38Paul Smith, 26Adam Spearritt, 14Philip Steele, 15David Thomas, 23Patrik Thompson, 35Peter Thompson, 30Stuart Thompson, 17Peter Tootle, 21Christopher Traynor, 26Martin Traynor, 16Kevin Tyrrell, 15Colin Wafer, 19Ian Whelan, 19Martin Wild, 29Kevin Williams, 15Graham Wright, 17
