Emotional Anfield Afternoon In Store

Some nostalgic sing-around that was! It came from the Sir Jack Hayward Stand in tribute to various former players at Wolves’ final pre-Christmas fixture.

Bully had a mention, as he does on virtually every match-day and night, and that ditty about Bakary Sako and Nouha Dicko was in there, too.

But the ‘play-list’, belted out in the second half of the Brentford game, was largely all about years two to five of the Fosun era. And, for all of the present gloom, those seasons were extremely happy ones.

In no particular order, there was celebration of the roles played here by Ruben Neves, Ivan Cavaleiro, Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and ‘ring-master’ Nuno. Less tunefully but with equal gusto came the chanted appreciation: ‘Diogo! Diogo! Diogo!’

And, after the moving special visit Wolves’ squad paid to Anfield last night, the late Portuguese forward will be remembered again with huge warmth when Wolves return there for the game this afternoon.

It is already close on six months since we received the appalling news of the deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, in a car crash.

Both Molineux and Anfield were awash with disbelief, grief and floral tributes, the two clubs demonstrating a common feeling of bereavement that is resurfacing in the build-up to the first meeting of the sides since the tragedy. 

No-one who was present to witness the tribute Wolves brilliantly choreographed before the opening-day game against Manchester City will ever forget it. Hearing Fields of Gold is an altogether different experience these days.

I also recall the huge sadness of seeing Liverpool fans paying their own respects at the televised pre-season friendly at Preston. Coming little over a week after the fatal accident in Northern Spain, that was a seriously hard watch.

It was a sort of Fields of Gold meets Fields of Anfield Road occasion. And, towards the end of a month in which former Wolves Academy lad Ethan McLeod died in an M1 crash while driving home from Macclesfield’s match at Bedford, it was another reminder that some things are way more important than winning and losing.

A minute’s silence for Ethan was held at Molineux seven days ago and Jota’s status as a Premier League champion and Nations League winner will see to it that the mood at Anfield today will be even more highly charged.

His two sons will be among the mascots and the huge emotion will be felt among supporters of his first English club, too.

The brilliant Portuguese international scored 44 goals for Wolves in 131 games and then 65 for Liverpool after moving to Anfield in 2020.

He was inducted into Molineux’s hall of fame in July within a fortnight of his passing.

A week ago, the singing was aimed at a number of different Wolves favourites. Today, so much of it will be aimed at only one man.