Liverpool and Arsenal played out a dull 1-1 draw in their Champions' League Quarter Final first leg last night, with the Merseyside club playing in black to honour former EastEnders star and Runaround host Frank Butcher, who was one of their biggest fans.
The Reds became the Blacks for the night in memory of the chirpy Cockney comic who regularly attended Liverpool matches (whenever his extremely busy schedule would allow it), and held a respectful minute's silence during the halftime interval whilst they sucked on oranges.
Liverpool's Spanish boss Rafa Benitez, who, with large spectacles, would closely resemble Butcher, said:
"Ahparrently, hche wozzay big Liverpoofan! I love hchis things to say like 'Trif-ick!'. Francis will be sadly missed."
The black kit brought a sombre feel to the Emirates Stadium, with the crowd remaining respectfully silent throughout, and not cheering even when the goals were scored.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who had said earlier that his favourite TV programme when he was young was 'Runaround' in French, commented:
"I loved his catchphrases. My favourite one was that "Move Yer Arris!" That really cracked me up! Bon."
