Liverpool began their Premier League title defence with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield, in a night charged with emotion, controversy, and late drama. The champions twice surrendered a two-goal lead before Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah struck late to secure all three points, as manager Arne Slot hailed the “unbelievable” atmosphere on an evening dedicated to the memory of Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash last month.
Before kick-off, the Anfield crowd delivered a poignant tribute, singing Jota’s name in the opening minute, after 20 minutes, and again at full-time, with his wife and children present in the stands. “It was so impressive, so powerful,” said Slot. “For them, it might be special to hear how much he’s loved over here.”
Match Report
The opening minutes set the tone for a high-tempo contest, with Hugo Ekitike looking lively on his Anfield debut. In the 12th minute, controversy struck when Marcos Senesi appeared to deliberately handle the ball to stop Ekitike breaking through on goal, but referee Anthony Taylor waved away Liverpool’s appeals.
Liverpool eventually found their breakthrough in the 37th minute when Alexis Mac Allister’s through ball ricocheted off Senesi into Ekitike’s path, and the French forward made no mistake with a composed low finish past Đorđe Petrović.
Five minutes after the restart, Ekitike turned provider, holding up the ball before laying it off to Cody Gakpo, who drilled his effort into the bottom corner to double the lead. The champions looked in control, but the match was briefly halted in the first half after Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo reported racist abuse from the crowd. Following a four-minute stoppage and a stadium announcement, play resumed.
Bournemouth rallied on the hour mark when Tyler Adams released David Brooks down the left, and his inch-perfect cross was swept home by Semenyo. The Ghanaian forward struck again moments later, surging through the middle to finish powerfully past Alisson, silencing the home crowd and becoming the first visiting player to score a brace at Anfield since September 2022.
Liverpool responded with urgency, and in the 84th minute Chiesa pounced on a loose ball inside the box to fire the hosts back in front. Salah then sealed the victory five minutes later, racing onto a through ball to slot home his 10th Premier League opening-day goal, sparking jubilant celebrations in the Kop.
Merseyside Police later confirmed that a 47-year-old man had been ejected from Anfield over the racist abuse incident, with an investigation underway. “We will be proactively seeking football banning orders,” said Chief Inspector Kev Chatterton. Slot called the abuse “unacceptable”, while Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola said: “It’s a big shame that these things keep happening. The person has been identified.”
Despite defensive frailties, Liverpool’s late surge ensured a winning start to their title defence, with Slot praising the intensity and spirit of his players in what was both a celebratory and sobering night at Anfield.
