Liverpool opened the new Premier League season in triumph and in tears. Extreme emotions will accompany the champions throughout their title defence but were particularly apt on the night Anfield paid tribute to Diogo Jota and Arne Slot’s side showed the incredible will-to-win that defines them.
Mohamed Salah was inconsolable after the final whistle. Moments after sealing an enthralling victory over Bournemouth and recreating Jota’s Baby Shark celebration, the Liverpool forward broke down in tears in front of the Kop as they sang in honour of the tragic Portugal international. Jota’s wife, Rute Cardoso, children and family had found the strength to be present and were welcomed with a sign that read: ‘Rute, Dinis, Duarte, Matilda – Anfield will always be your home. You’ll Never Walk Alone.’ It was one moving moment among many as Anfield remembered their number 20 and his brother, André Silva, following their deaths in July.
The headlines could have belonged to Federico Chiesa, who came off the bench to clinch the win and shatter Bournemouth with an 88th-minute volley. It was his first Premier League goal for the club but, given the emotion, the high drama and unfortunately allegations of racist abuse towards Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, Chiesa’s vital contribution may be overlooked. Semenyo scored two excellent goals to haul Andoni Iraola’s team level, and deservedly so, only for Chiesa’s and Salah’s late double act to rescue Liverpool.
Hugo Ekitiké, Liverpool’s recent £69m signing from Eintracht Frankfurt, impressed on his Premier League debut and opened the scoring. His touch, movement and pace ensured a seamless assimilation into the Liverpool attack but one look at Slot’s substitute bench, where his striking options consisted of Chiesa and 16-year-old Rio Ngumoha, underlined why interest in Alexander Isak remains. For all the additions to the Liverpool ranks and departures from the Bournemouth squad, however, it was the visitors who looked the more enterprising team prior to Ekitiké’s breakthrough.
Bournemouth have sold Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi to the powerhouses of Liverpool, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain respectively this summer for a combined £144.8m. Their absences told defensively, but Iraola will take comfort from the quality of his side’s overall display.
Marcos Senesi was fortunate in the extreme to avoid a red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity with 13 minutes gone. Attempting to intercept a pass intended for Ekitiké, the Bournemouth central defender miscued a clearance from his thigh on to his fingertips before clawing the ball away from the Liverpool striker, who would have been through on goal. It was a clear handball, so clear that Cody Gakpo picked up the ball to await the inevitable punishment. Instead, referee Anthony Taylor awarded Bournemouth a free-kick for a handball by Gakpo. It was some escape.
Slot was further enraged when Taylor waved play on after a trip on Florian Wirtz. Semenyo took possession and avoided a dangerous challenge from Kerkez before being tripped by Alexis Mac Allister. Moments later, as the Bournemouth forward shaped to take a throw-in, a Liverpool fan moved to the front of the Main Stand and berated him. Semenyo informed Taylor he had been racially abused and the game was paused as the match official called over both managers and stewards. The fan, in a wheelchair, was escorted out of the stadium at half-time by three police officers.
Ekitiké gave Liverpool the lead shortly after the depressing incident when, having exchanged passes with Mac Allister, he ran at Senesi and benefited from a ricochet off the defender to race through on goal. The France under-21 international was coolness personified as he sent Djordje Petrovic to his right and rolled a finish past the keeper’s left. Gakpo doubled the champions’ advantage early in the second half when he received Ekitiké’s pass on the edge of the area and cut across two Bournemouth players before finding the bottom corner.
Liverpool were in the comfort zone, and Bournemouth almost made them pay. Semenyo twice punished loose defending – and it had been a feature of their entire performance – to haul the visitors level. The Ghana international was unmarked as he swept home David Brooks’ low centre from the left. There was a sense of inevitability about Bournemouth’s equaliser and it arrived when Salah overhit a pass towards Dominik Szoboszlai. Hamed Traorè intercepted and released Semenyo, who set off from deep inside his own half and did not meet a challenge of note until reaching the edge of the Liverpool penalty area. The forward ended his outstanding run by finding the bottom corner of Alisson’s goal.
How Salah made amends. It was his cross that caused pandemonium inside the Bournemouth box and resulted in Chiesa volleying Liverpool back in front. In stoppage time Salah registered his customary opening day goal to put the result beyond doubt with a piercing finish beyond Petrovic. The Egypt international celebrated wildly by his standards. The tears that followed underlined the importance of this night to all at Liverpool.
