Watch: Premier League players kneel upon opening whistle of restart

The Premier League resumed with a powerful statement on Wednesday, as players from Aston Villa and Sheffield United took a knee for 10 seconds upon the opening whistle of the league's first match back.

Manchester City and Arsenal players followed suit ahead of the day's second contest.

The gesture, made in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, is a sign of protest against police brutality and racial injustice and has been employed by numerous athletes in the wake of George Floyd's death in Minneapolis in May. Players across the football world, including in the Bundesliga and La Liga, have made similar statements in recent weeks.

Jadon Sancho and Weston McKennie, for example, each unveiled messages - the former on his shirt and the latter on an armband - calling for justice following Floyd's killing.

In combination with the recent police killing of Breonna Taylor and the fatal shooting of Ahmaud Arbery, Floyd's death sparked worldwide demonstrations. He was killed after a white police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes.

"Aston Villa and Sheffield United were proud to stand in solidarity with the actions of the players and coaching staff of both football clubs during the first ten seconds of tonight's Premier League fixture, expressing our collective support for the Black Lives Matter movement," the club said.

In addition to Wednesday's silent protests on the field, the name on the back of each player's shirt was replaced with "Black Lives Matter." Every Premier League club will do the same through the weekend's slate of fixtures.