Arsenal squad offer heartwarming tribute in support of England Lioness Beth Mead following her mother’s death

Arsenal paid tribute to England Lioness Beth Mead after their North London Derby win, following the news of her mother’s passing.

The gunners secured a 2-0 victory over North London rivals Tottenham on Sunday and took the opportunity to support fellow footballer Mead.

In a photo posted on Instagram by Rob Holding, The Arsenal men's team posed in their dressing room with a shirt that read “Thinking of you Beth”.

The post was captioned: "What a win! We are all with you, Beth Mead. For June."

Mead, 27, from Whitby, recently announced that her mum had passed away on 7 January after a long battle with ovarian cancer.

Posting on Instagram, she wrote: “Thought long and hard about what to write, but there will never be any words that will do justice.

“At 1 am on the 7th of Jan, our beautiful, kind, funny Mum & Wife passed away after a long & brave battle against Ovarian Cancer. She was surrounded by myself, my brother & dad as she passed away peacefully.

“Our hearts are broken, there will be a piece missing forever, but heaven has now gained a special angel. If love could have saved you, you would have lived forever. I’m sad that you are gone, but I’m more grateful for the time we had together.

“Our family would appreciate some privacy during this difficult time. We love you lots, forever & always. RIP Mama.”

The Arsenal Women’s team, who Beth currently plays for, gathered on the pitch during Sunday’s WSL matchup against Chelsea to remember June.

Beth’s former club, Sunderland AFC Ladies, also paid tribute to June Mead before their match against Durham, with players and fans coming together for a minute’s silence.

Beth joined Arsenal from Sunderland in 2017 and has since scored 40 goals in 119 appearances for the Women's Super League club Arsenal.

The 27-year-old recently opened up about her mum’s cancer diagnosis and revealed that the best season of her career was actually the worst year of her personal life.

She explained how the diagnosis made her determined to make June proud.

Her mother was present in the summer when she played a key role in England’s Euro 2022 triumph, as she fired them to glory with six goals in six games and provided five assists.

She won the Golden Boot for leading scorer and was named player of the tournament.

Beth Mead was crowned the BBCSports Personality of the Year for 2022 and held back tears as she thanked her mother.

In her speech, she said: "I wouldn’t have done it without those girls over there and the team that have backed me. Yes, I’ve got this accolade, I did my job, and I scored a few goals, but I wouldn’t have done it without them. And I certainly wouldn’t have done it without my mum, my dad and all my family.”

To find out more about Beth Mead visit: https://www.peopleworld.co.uk/people/beth-mead