In an emotionally charged night at Anfield, Liverpool kicked off their Premier League title defense with a thrilling win over Bournemouth.
The match was tinged with sadness as tributes were paid to Liverpool’s Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who tragically died in a car crash in July.
A minute’s silence was observed before kickoff, and applause broke out in the 20th minute – the number Jota wore for Liverpool.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot gave first Premier League starts to four summer recruits. Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool’s £70m signing from Eintracht Frankfurt, broke the deadlock with a composed finish eight minutes before halftime.
Ekitike then set up Cody Gakpo for a second goal four minutes after the break, putting Liverpool on course for a comfortable win.
However, the game took a dramatic turn when Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo reported racial abuse from a member of the crowd, prompting referee Anthony Taylor to halt play.
Semenyo showed remarkable character by scoring twice to put Bournemouth back in contention – a goal in the 64th minute and an equalizer 14 minutes from time.
In the dying minutes, the unlikely hero Federico Chiesa scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool, followed by a low finish from Mohamed Salah in front of The Kop to seal a dramatic 4-2 win for the Reds.
