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Jurgen Klopp paid tribute to Luis Diaz after he came off the bench to score an ’emotional’ equalizer for Liverpool at Luton.
In his first appearance since the kidnapping of his parents last weekend in his home country of Colombia, Diaz scored in the 95th minute to earn Liverpool a point.
Diaz’s mother Cilenis Marulanda was released on the same night his parents were snatched from the streets, although his father Luis Manuel Diaz has yet to be released – the “real problem”, Klopp reminded, which has not yet been resolved despite “positive, optimistic” signals .
Diaz unveiled a t-shirt with the message ‘freedom for dad’ after scoring, as he was embraced by Luton captain Tom Lockyer and Klopp at full-time.
Klopp said: ‘It’s great, it’s emotional and fantastic, but that doesn’t solve the real problem.
Liverpool striker Luis Diaz came off the bench to head a final Luton Town equalizer
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‘We want to give Lucho, and he wanted that too, the opportunity to be a little distracted from things.
‘He can’t do anything. He waits all the time, the whole family waits all the time. He trained with us a few times and was in a good mood and that’s good for him.
‘The signals from Colombia are quite positive and optimistic, but not the only thing we want to hear has not happened yet.
How was he emotionally afterwards? After the match, no words were needed. We just gave each other a hug, that’s all. You know what he is like. Okay, but I’m desperately waiting for the right news.
‘I understand one hundred percent that it is a beautiful story. It’s super positive and great for him, but these things pass.
In the second half, substitute Diaz headed Harvey Elliott’s cross within added time on Sunday
‘The real information we need is other information. Scoring is a very positive thing for him, but all other problems remain the same.’
Luton were on the back foot for most of the match when Ross Barkley drove forward in the 80th minute to release Issa Kabore, who passed for Tahith Chong to slot the ball past Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.
That caused delirium in the picturesque and raucous Kenilworth Road stadium, which has a capacity of just over 11,000 and where Luton have managed just one point this season.
But then substitute Diaz stepped up in the second half to jump and convert a Harvey Elliott cross in time, revealing an undershirt that read ‘freedom for dad’. A Colombian guerrilla group has said it will release his father.
Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker said: ‘It says a lot about Diaz’s character, his inner strength. Not many people can imagine what he is going through, we feel his pain, but for him it is another level.
‘Football can sometimes bring joy to someone who is having a hard time in bad moments. Football is a piece of joy for Lucho these days. We are behind him one hundred percent.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp hugs Diaz before coming on as a substitute on Sunday
‘Football always surprises in a good way, it happened to me when I was going through a difficult moment. When you’re on the field, you’re focused on your job.’
‘Really difficult, we had to play against a deep defensive team. They did very well today. We didn’t play a bad game, we missed some chances. It’s disappointing not to win, but we respect the opponent who played bravely on the field.”
Liverpool spoiled Darwin Nunez’s misses. He saw a powerful shot hit the crossbar in the first half and another poke the gloves of Luton goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski in the second period.
The result left Liverpool third with 24 points, three behind leaders Manchester City. Luton slowly moved out of the relegation zone, finishing 17th with six points, two off bottom.