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25th Hillsborough Anniversary Memorial Service

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Liverpool v Manchester City - Premier LeagueWhilst watching Liverpool triumph over Manchester City at the weekend, I commented that there was nowhere in the world that could capture the gravity of an occasion quite like Anfield. On Sunday, there was the duel matter of a potential Premier League title deciding game and a minutes silence for the 25th anniversary of Hillsborough.

This afternoon, there was nothing else that mattered, as over 20,000 people gathered at Anfield to show their respects at the 25th Hillsborough memorial service and again, the great ground once again held all of the compassion and emotion of those in attendance.

Amongst those attending included the current squad, former players such as legends Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush, as well as thousands of fans from across the city and the world.

Current manager Brendan Rodgers spoke at the ceremony, explaining how the Hillsborough memorial at the ground is his biggest inspiration when he comes to Anfield, saying “Those who we lost, and for those of you who have fought and campaigned tirelessly on their behalf and on behalf of the survivors, you are the real true inspiration for us.”

He also praised previous Reds manager, Kenny Dalglish stating “The leadership, the human dignity and courage shown by Kenny at that time was more inspiring than any goal scored or any trophy won and I think it serves as an example to us all.” for his efforts in campaigning and supporting the pursuit of justice for the 96 Liverpool fans who perished on that day in 1989.

As ever, Everton showed their support, with current Blues boss, Roberto Martinez attending and his words will certainly be appreciated, as the Everton manager said “What happened after wasn’t right or fair either, to have to fight for the good names of the ones you lost was appalling.

“But as my chairman said a year ago, the authorities took on the wrong city if they thought they were going to get away with that.”

“Everton remembers. We always will”

After 25 years, the fight for justice and continuing remembrance shows no signs of abating and, if anything, seems only to gather pace year on year and aside from the words of the Reds and Blues bosses, great credit must also go to Margaret Aspinall, Trevor Hicks of the Hillsborough Family Support Group and local Labour Party MP, Andy Burnham, for their tireless campaigning on behalf of the families and fans.

On a day like today, it is always hard to find the right words or, indeed, words that haven’t already been said a thousand times but with the backing of such groups and individuals, the Hillsborough families, Liverpool fans and the club know they will certainly Never Walk Alone.

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I'm a 32 year old Liverpool fan, living in the heart of the City Centre. I've supported the club since the day I was born and have been writing articles for L4L for over 3 years, writing close over 350 articles in that time. My favorite player of the past generation is Sami Hyypia.

I am the current editor for L4L, with my day job being in R&D for the NHS.