Players salute NHS and BLM ahead of EPL restart

Aston Villa and Sheffield United players and staff paid tribute to both the Black Lives Matter movement and the National Health Service as the English Premier League kicked off on Wednesday, having been suspended since March due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

All players and match officials took a knee at the start of the match at Villa Park in support of BLM, kneeling for around 10 seconds.

The players had all warmed up in Black Lives Matter t-shirts, and names on the match shirts were replaced with the same message.

Their shirts also donned a blue NHS heart in support of staff who have worked throughout the pandemic.