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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Philip Cornwall

A season from hell: how Arne Slot’s Liverpool fell apart after death of Jota

Liverpool's manager Arne Slot vents his anger on the touchline
Liverpool's manager Arne Slot is infurated as Manchester United win at Anfield in October. Photograph: Ian Hodgson/AP

The death of Diogo Jota

The Liverpool forward was returning from his native Portugal to England via car then ferry, on medical advice after having a minor lung operation, and was killed in an accident along with his brother, André Silva, en route to the Spanish port of Santander, on 3 July 2025. Jota’s death, 11 days after teammates attended his wedding to the mother of their three children, deeply affected everyone at the club. The celebrations at the end of May of the club’s title win on the streets of Liverpool had previously been cut short by a man driving a car into the crowds, injuring 134 people, some seriously. What should have been a summer of celebration was overshadowed by tragedies, and Arne Slot had to prepare for the new season against a highly emotional background.

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