Liverpool's Main Stand at Anfield evacuated minutes before match due to start
Anfield was evacuated on Sunday just minutes before Liverpool were due to take on Athletic Bilbao in a pre-season friendly after an alarm went off in the main stand.
Fans leave Anfield after the stadium was evacuated
(Image: PA)
Anfield's Main Stand was cleared ahead of Liverpool's friendly encounter with Athletic Bilbao. The fixture was due to kick off at 5pm, with a second match against the same opponents scheduled for 8pm.
Fans were led away from the ground after an alarm sounded, just as they were taking their places. The reason behind the evacuation remains unclear at present.
The Reds are preparing for the forthcoming Premier League campaign, with a mixture of established stars and academy prospects set to face their Spanish visitors across two separate fixtures.
Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson are amongst the senior squad members named for the opening contest.
These twin friendlies represent Liverpool's maiden appearance at Anfield since the devastating passing of Diogo Jota.
The 28-year-old lost his life tragically in a motor vehicle collision alongside his brother Andre Silva last month, reports the Liverpool Echo.
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Writing in his programme notes, skipper Virgil van Dijk observed: "It has, of course, been a very challenging time.
"First and foremost for Diogo and Andre's family, for Rute and the kids. They are the people who must always come first in all of this. We must never forget that, and we cannot imagine their pain in this moment.
"It is still a bit surreal, to be honest, but we are coping in the best way possible as a team, and we are all trying to do the best job we can in order to get through this really difficult time.
"With everything that happened, it has been strange having to now try to carry on with work, with football. We will never forget Diogo, of course, but we just have to try to honour his memory. That's what we try to do each and every day.
"I always come back to the fact that we have to look after Diogo's family, his parents, and that's the main thing.
"You think about so many different things, and it's difficult to process. You can't imagine the pain, the feeling that they have. That's why we try to be there as much as we can, and for each other as well.
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"That's also why it is very important that we honour and carry on his legacy, not only for now and the next couple of months, but for as long as we can, because that is what he deserves."
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