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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Ste McGovern

Nottingham Forest praised for 'beautiful' Liverpool gesture ahead of FA Cup clash

Nottingham Forest will leave 97 seats empty at the City Ground when they host Liverpool in the FA Cup this weekend.

The gesture is in tribute to the 97 lives lost as a result of the Hillsborough disaster that took place when the two sides met in the FA Cup semi-finals 33 years ago.

Forest posted on their Instagram: "97 seats will be left vacant at tomorrow's match in honour of those who lost their lives at our FA Cup semi final in 1989. We look forward to welcoming Liverpool FC to The City Ground."

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The club received a lot of praise for their tribute, with one fan calling it a "beautiful gesture", while another said "good to see, well done Forest".

A third commenter said "proper respect, well done", and a fourth wrote "such a lovely respectful thing to do" amid a slew of positive comments.

The Hillsborough disaster occurred on 15 April 1989 as Liverpool fans were crushed in the standing-only pens of the Leppings Lane end at the Yorkshire stadium.

The pens were overcrowded after police match commander David Duckenfield ordered exit gate C to be opened, leading to 97 deaths, 766 injuries and the abandonment of the match.

The game was restaged three weeks later at Old Trafford, where Liverpool beat Forest 3-1 before going on to win the FA Cup. Sunday will be the first time the two teams have met in the competition since then.

Can Forest cause a shock vs Liverpool? Let us know in the comments!

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