Chelsea, Liverpool and the Premier League have all condemned the “vile” chants referring to stadium tragedies heard during the teams’ goalless draw at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.
Chelsea and Liverpool played out their fourth goalless draw in as many head-to-head meetings as the Blues spurned several chances to win their first game since Graham Potter’s sacking.
The contest was marred by some home supporters chanting about the Hillsborough disaster – which saw 97 Liverpool fans lose their lives during and after a 1989 FA Cup semi-final.
Tuesday’s match was not the first to be overshadowed by such songs this season, with Manchester City expressing regret after similar chants were heard at their 4-1 win over Liverpool on Saturday.
A statement released by Chelsea shortly after full-time read: “Chelsea FC condemns the inappropriate chants heard from some home fans during this evening’s game.
“Hateful chanting has no place in football and we apologise to anyone who has been offended by them.”
Liverpool subsequently responded to Chelsea’s apology on Twitter, calling for supporters to stop partaking in the grim chants.
“We know the impact these vile chants have on those who continue to suffer as a result of football tragedies,” read a Tweet from the club’s account. “For their sake, this has to stop.”
The Premier League, meanwhile, addressed the situation in another Tweet, which read: “The Premier League condemns the tragedy chanting heard at tonight’s match between Chelsea and Liverpool.
“We continue to treat this as an unacceptable issue and are seeking to address it as a priority.”