Jurgen Klopp pays glowing tribute to Arsenal fans after show of respect at Anfield

Jurgen Klopp praised Arsenal fans after a minute's silence was held at Anfield to mark the 34th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.

Last week Liverpool came from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw against the title-chasing Gunners.

It was a bruising draw for Arsenal in the context of their Premier League ambitions, as Mikel Arteta's men squandered the opportunity to go eight points clear of Manchester City at the summit.

However, the result paled into insignificance when considering the Hillsborough tributes that were held before the game.

A minute's silence was observed in memory of the 97 people who lost their lives as a result of the events that occurred at Liverpool's FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest on April 15, 1989.

A mosaic was also displayed on the Kop which featured the Eternal Flames with the number 97.

On the tribute, Klopp said in his press conference: "First and foremost, you're right it was probably the most respectful minute of silence I have ever witnessed, last week.

"There was absolutely no noise apart from a little baby, and that was absolutely fine. That you could hear the baby showed how silent it was."

Speaking of the Arsenal fans in particular, the German added: "It was touching, to be honest."

A total of 95 fans were killed on the day or in the direct aftermath of the incident, with Tony Bland then passing away in 1993 and Andrew Devine losing his life in 2021, both as a result of injuries sustained at Hillsborough.

Liverpool also wore black armbands as a mark of respect while there was also a commemorative edition of the matchday programme.

Klopp was pressed on why football fans often sing songs referencing Hillsborough and other tragedies.

The German said: "I have no explanation for this. Football supporters can be a really mean group, so that's how it is. If you find a weak point of somebody then you just put your finger in it.

"A lot of groups are guilty of that, not only football supporters or sports in general. They look for what they don't like, and boom, you put the finger in it.

"And I think the more attention you give it, the more often they will do it.

"It's no much how other people think about our situation, in that specific case, it's more how we think about it.

"The real special thing is that we as a Liverpool family come together in these decisive moments.

"Tomorrow morning Hendo [Jordan Henderson] and I will go to Anfield and show our respect.

"And it was not for one second a duty since I'm here, because of the way we all deal with it. If other people don't understand it I'm not too bothered to be honest, because that's their fault not ours, and why should we be worried about it.

"But again, I have to say, it was really obvious how the Arsenal supporters in that moment, worked it out."