Former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has paid tribute to the families of those who died in the Hillsborough tragedy following the verdicts that the 96 football fans were unlawfully killed.

A jury today absolved fans of all blame for the deaths, concluding that police and ambulance services, in addition to other factors, "caused or contributed" to the disaster on April 15, 1989.

Dalglish, who was manager of Liverpool at the time and was heavily involved in the aftermath of the incident, believes that the verdict acts as "vindication" for the fans and families who fought for justice.

"The fans have been totally vindicated, and the families have been victorious in everything they put forwards. The truth they knew 27 years ago has just come to pass now," he told BBC Radio 5 live.

"They fought for the person who went to a football match and lost their life. You cannot summarise or even to begin to guess what those families have been through... for 27 years... to live it... there were times when things looked bleak and they stayed totally true to their loved ones.

"They have been humble, had integrity and gone about getting what they knew to be the truth - it has taken them 27 years to do it, so you just feel so relieved for them."

The deaths were initially ruled accidental in the 1991 inquest, but a 2012 report concluded that police and others had created a cover-up to avoid the blame.