Diogo Jota holds up Luis Diaz shirt as Liverpool show support for Colombian after parents kidnapped

Liverpool's Diogo Jota celebrates scoring their side's first goal of the game by holding up a shirt of team-mate Luis Diaz during the Premier League match at Anfield. Credit: PA Images

Liverpool showed their support to Luis Diaz during a comfortable 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Sunday, 29 October.

Goals from Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez before the break and Mohamed Salah's second-half effort helped Jurgen Klopp's side maintain their 100 per cent home record in the Premier League this season.

Jota held aloft Diaz's number seven shirt after scoring, with the Colombian not featuring in Liverpool's squad following reports his parents had been kidnapped in his homeland.

Head coach Jurgen Klopp said preparation for Sunday's win against had been "the most difficult I've ever had in my life".

Liverpool confirmed an "ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz" earlier on Sunday and Colombia's president said Diaz's mother "has been rescued" but his father remains missing.

Klopp said: "The game preparation was the most difficult I've ever had in my life. I didn't expect that, I wasn't prepared for it.

"I don't want to make the game bigger than it was, but definitely, we tried to help Luis with the fight we put in because obviously we want to help and we cannot really help.

"So the only thing we can do is fight for him and that's what the boys did."

Mohamed Salah (right) celebrates with Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott after scoring their side's third goal of the game. Credit: PA Images

Liverpool secured their fifth straight home Premier League win to move three points behind leaders Tottenham.

But Klopp said: "How can you make a football game really important on a day like this? It's really difficult. I've never struggled with that in my life.

"We heard late last night about it. We spoke to Luis, he wanted to go home...Then we got the news with his mum, which is fantastic, and since then nothing really.

"We are obviously the first people to get involved and we try to have knowledge of everything as much as we can, but we don't want to disturb in any way the important people there, we just want to support, that's it."

Luis Diaz. Credit: PA Images

Liverpool said in a statement that they were supporting the player. It read: "Liverpool Football Club can confirm it is aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz in Colombia.

"It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity. In the meantime, the player's welfare will continue to be our immediate priority."

Colombia's president Gustavo Petro said on X, formerly known as Twitter: "In an operation in Barrancas, Luis Diaz's mother has been rescued, we continue the search for the father."

The country's football federation said in a statement that the kidnapping was regrettable and urged authorities to rescue Diaz's father.

"The Colombian Football Federation rejects the security situation that the parents of our player Luis Diaz are going through," they said.

"From the FCF we express our solidarity with him and his entire family and we call for the relevant authorities to act as quickly as possible to resolve the situation."

Liverpool signed Diaz from Porto in January 2022 in an initial £37.5million deal that included a potential extra £12.5million in add-ons.

The 26-year-old winger has made 11 appearances this season and scored three goals.

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