Supporters from Liverpool and Manchester United have joined together in a poignant mark of respect for Cristiano Ronaldo after the tragic death of his newborn son. Ronaldo has been granted compassionate leave and the 37-year-old was not available for selection at Anfield.
It came after Ronaldo and his partner Georgina Rodriguez announced their heart-breaking news through Ronaldo's social media channels on Monday evening. United themselves led condolences for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner and his family. Marcus Rashford was among the United players to follow suit.
Putting rivalries to one side, Liverpool fans had already confirmed plans to reach out to Ronaldo and his family with a pre-arranged applause set to take place in the seventh minute. Emotional scenes were carried out by match-goers once the Premier League showdown got underway.
READ MORE: Score updates from Premier League game between Liverpool and Manchester United
Players from both teams are, also, wearing black armbands as another mark of respect. Ronaldo's partner Georgina gave birth to twins on Monday evening, with their daughter surviving.
Before the seventh-minute applause took place, a short statement was published on the MUFC website. It read: "While United and Liverpool share English football's greatest rivalry, there is a deep-rooted respect held between the two clubs and that will be highlighted by the minute's applause - which was initially suggested by fans of the Merseyside team."
On field, United made four changes for the Liverpool match with Rashford coming in for Ronaldo; while Phil Jones, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Nemanja Matic also started. Out came Alex Telles, Jesse Lingard and summer signing Jadon Sancho with Ralf Rangnick also opting for a change in formation.
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