Referee Stuart Attwell allowed a brief pause in play during Liverpool’s victory over Sheffield United for players observing Ramadan to break their fast.
The Reds had already taken an early lead through Darwin Nunez when, around 25 minutes in, the match official ordered a brief pause for Iftar.
Iftar is the fast-breaking evening meal of Muslims in Ramadan that can be consumed after once the the sun has set.
It is the second meal of the day for Muslims during Ramadan, with the daily fast beginning immediately after the pre-dawn meal of suhur.
At Anfield, Mohamed Salah, Ibrahima Konate and Anel Ahmedhodzic were able to break their fast on the touchline, with the stoppage met with applause from supporters in attendance.
Liverpool’s clash with Sheffield United on Thursday was temporarily paused in the first-half
The break allowed players observing ramadan to break fast on the touchline during the game
Despite being pegged back after the interval, the Reds struck late to claim three points and return to the top of the table
Mail Sport’s Aadam Patel shared a clip of the stoppage on social media, and noted separately that fans had taken advantage of the pause in play.
Jurgen Klopp’s title contenders maintained their lead heading into the interval but were stunned following the restart when the Blades got back on level terms following a Connor Bradley own-goal.
The hosts have made a habit of finding late goals when they need the most however, and Alexis Mac Allister continued his fine recent run of form to fire them back into the lead in closing stages.
Cody Gakpo added a third deep into stoppage time to seal the victory, with the three points restoring his side’s place at the top of the table, two points ahead of Arsenal, and three in front of Man City.
