Who is Michael Jones and why did Liverpool pay tribute to the Everton fan during home game against Bournemouth?
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, along with the rest of the squad, paid tribute to the late Everton fan Michael Jones on Saturday (August 19). Jones tragically lost his life while working on building Everton's new stadium earlier this week.
According to the Daily Star, Jones suffered several injuries and was taken to the Aintree Hospital. However, it was not enough as he passed away due to the injuries.
The Everton side, led by manager Sean Dyche, paid tribute to their late fan with the club putting out an emotional statement following the devastating news. The Toffees, however, were not the only side from Merseyside to honor Jones.
Reds supporters at Anfield also paid tribute to the deceased Everton fan in the 26th minute during their home game against Bournemouth.
According to GOAL, Everton banners were seen at the Kop End of Anfield with fans clapping and chanting the iconic 'You’ll Never Walk Alone' anthem as a tribute to Jones.
The Liverpool squad also visited the Bramley Moore Dock site to pay their tributes to Michael Jones. Manager Klopp was seen putting a wreath to honor the deceased workman.
The wreath had a special message which read:
"Condolences from everyone at Liverpool Football Club. YNWA."
According to the aforementioned source, the entire Liverpool squad also held a minute's silence in memory of Jones. Their act of solidarity for someone who supported their city rivals has earned them a huge amount of praise from fans and media alike.
The Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton is often called the 'friendly derby'. Everton also showed solidarity towards the Reds to campaign against the Hillsborough disaster.
Everton are currently in the midst of building a new stadium, looking to move away from Goodison Park for the 2024-25 season. The entire project is expected to cost the Toffees somewhere in the region of £500 million.
According to the Guardian, the new stadium will have a capacity of 52,888, significantly surpassing that of Goodison Park.
Liverpool pick up their first win of the 2023-24 season
Liverpool returned to Anfield for the first time this season and recorded a convincing 3-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday (August 19). This was despite the Reds going down to 10 men in the second half after Alexis Mac Allister was shown a red card.
Bournemouth opened the scoring early in the first half before the Reds started to control the game. Goals from Luis Diaz, Mohamed Salah, and Diogo Jota were enough to secure their first three points of the new season.
The Merseyside-based side needed the three points after they drew their opening game of the season 1-1 against fellow top-four rivals Chelsea. They will next face another top-of-the-table rival in the form of Newcastle United on Sunday (August 27) at St. James' Park.