Lucas Leiva suffered death of grandmother night before playing for Liverpool

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has revealed that his grandmother passed away the night before he played in Saturday's Premier League match against Aston Villa.

The Brazilian was instrumental in helping the Reds to seal a 3-2 victory at Anfield.

Now, it has been revealed by the 28-year-old that he was dealing with the grief of losing a loved one before the fixture.

On Instagram, Lucas wrote: "I want to leave a tribute to my Grandmother who passed away last night. My dear grandma, you completed your mission here with us, you can rest in peace because we will keep going that warrior spirit that you always had. LOVE YOU !! #RIP."

Lucas was heavily linked with a move away from Liverpool in the summer transfer window, but stayed put when captain Jordan Henderson broke his foot.