Diaz was left out of the Liverpool squad for the game following the emergence of reports in his native Colombia that his parents had been kidnapped by armed men on motorcycles.
The club had responded with an official statement on Sunday morning confirming they were aware of the situation and prioritising the player's welfare. Manager Jurgen Klopp called it 'worrying' shortly before kick-off.
Diaz's mother has since been found, but his father is still not accounted for as law enforcement and the military in the country work together to locate him and secure his safe release.
When a dominant Liverpool went ahead at Anfield just over half an hour into the game, it was clear that the players were thinking about their team-mate.
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Jota tapped in the rebound from a saved Darwin Nunez effort and proceeded to run to the bench in what is likely to have been a pre-planned move for whichever player in Red found the net first. He was passed Diaz's number seven shirt and held it aloft to the crowd on all four sides of the stadium to see. The fans promptly responded by chanting Diaz's name.