An Irish boy enjoyed his dream trip to Anfield on Monday night, but it very nearly turned into a nightmare.
Luis Curran, aged 10, from Portaferry in County Down travelled over to Merseyside with his father Garrett on the overnight boat and were due to collect pre-booked tickets before the 8pm kick-off.
But as the atmosphere grew and thousands filed into the stadium, Luis and Garrett were left stranded as their ticket vendor was nowhere to be seen.
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Their 'dream' trip had suddenly become anything but, until two familiar faces walked by and saved the day.
Family friends Paul Milligan and Kevin Doherty were also at Anfield to watch the Reds take on Everton in the massive derby, and after seeing little Luis in distress they gave up their tickets for the game.
"We can't thank Paul and Kevin enough. It was a wonderful gesture and it made Luis' night," said mum, Janet, who was speaking to Belfast Live.
"Luis has always dreamed of going to Anfield to watch Liverpool. It was the main present he asked Santa for, and we managed to get two tickets sorted for the Everton game.
"They were bought and paid for last November, but Luis and Garrett were left standing outside Anfield waiting for tickets that never arrived.
"Luis was sitting on the pavement in tears, and it was a bitterly cold night. Garrett didn't know what they were going to do.
"Getting tickets for any Liverpool game is difficult enough, let alone a derby against Everton, and just before kick-off.
"They didn't really have any options, and then Paul and Kevin walked by, who are also from Portaferry.
"They got chatting to Garrett and heard what had happened, and they insisted on giving up their own tickets so Luis could get to watch the game.
"The two lads had also spent a lot of money on travelling to Liverpool for the game, so for them to give up their tickets was a wonderful gesture.
"It's nice to know that there are some really decent, thoughtful and kind people out there who would give up something which is important to them, for an upset child."
Luis got in to enjoy Liverpool beating Everton 2-0 on the night, with goals from Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo sealing the derby win.
And the Co Down boy also got to meet one of his Reds heroes before the game.
"Luis got a photo with Jordan Henderson earlier in the day. He was made up about that," Janet added
"I suppose everything ended well in the end, but we are so grateful to Paul and Kevin helping out the way they did."
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