Preston North End 1-3 Liverpool: Darwin Nunez Dedicates Celebration to Late Teammate Diogo Jota

Players and staff from Liverpool gathered in front of fans at Deepdale for seven minutes after the match, singing the name of Diogo Jota. The friendly match served as a heartfelt memorial just ten days after Jota and his brother Andre Silva tragically died in a car accident in Spain.

While originally intended as a warm-up for the upcoming Premier League season, the game became a tribute to Jota. Liverpool secured a solid 3-1 victory against Preston North End, marking a positive start to their pre-season preparations.

Conor Bradley opened the scoring in the 33rd minute, capitalizing on a loose touch from Preston’s Dominik Szoboszlai, who had chased Federico Chiesa’s cross. The Reds doubled their lead after half-time when Darwin Nunez scored, celebrating by paying tribute to Jota with a notable gesture.

In the 53rd minute, Nunez scored and then performed a celebration mimicking a video game remote, a signature move of Jota, sitting down and pretending to play. He also performed the “shark” gesture Jota was known for after scoring against Everton earlier this year.

Despite Liverpool’s dominance, Preston managed to score in the 83rd minute through Liam Lindsay’s header from a corner, ending their clean sheet streak. Klopp’s team made several changes at half-time, allowing young prospects to participate. One of Liverpool’s youth players, Ben Doak, assisted Cody Gakpo for the third goal, ensuring the result remained in their favor.

The Reds’ next pre-season match is scheduled for July 26 against AC Milan in Hong Kong.