Liverpool and Bournemouth served up a classic on Premier League opening day, with the Reds edging the tie 4-2 at Anfield on Friday.
Mohamed Salah and Federico Chiesa scored late in the game to seal victory for the champions after the Cherries fought back from two goals down.
The match began with a tribute to former Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, who died in a car crash in Spain last month. Players from both teams wore black armbands, and a moment of silence was observed in their memory.
Salah registered the first attempt of the match, curling an effort towards goal that was thwarted by Djordje Petrovic. The Reds came close again moments later, with Virgil van Dijk rising highest to meet a cross, but his header failed to trouble the goalkeeper.
At the other end, Antoine Semenyo and Marcus Tavernier squandered golden opportunities to put Bournemouth in front, but both players failing to trouble Alisson from close range.
The visitors, however, were made to rue their missed chances, with Hugo Ekitike marking his debut for Liverpool with a goal. After receiving the ball from Alexis Mac Allister, the Frenchman benefitted from a fortunate deflection before calmly slotting the ball past Petrovic.
Arne Slot’s men doubled their advantage four minutes after the restart. Cody Gakpo weaved through the Bournemouth defence before placing a finding the bottom corner, sending the Kop End into loud cheers of celebration.
The hosts threatened again as Mac Allister forced another fine save from Petrovic, aiming a curling strike towards the top corner.
Bournemouth, however, refused to fold. Semenyo halved the deficit in the 64th minute with a composed finish through Alisson’s legs, following a low cross from David Brooks.
The Ghana international then levelled the score in the 76th minute, driving the ball into the bottom right corner after a surging run from deep inside his own half.
Just as the match appeared to be heading for a draw, substitute Federico Chiesa—on for Florian Wirtz in the 82nd minute—restored Liverpool’s lead within six minutes of coming on. The Italian sliced a volley expertly into the bottom corner.
Salah then put the result beyond doubt with a brilliant right-footed finish to maintain his remarkable record on opening day. It marked the Egyptian’s 10th Premier League goal on matchday one—making him the first player in history to reach that milestone.
The strike was also Salah’s 187th league goal, and the 33-year-old, who dedicated his goal and celebration to Jota, equalled Andy Cole as the fourth highest goalscorer in Premier League history
The win sees Slot’s side climb to the top of the early Premier League standings, pending results from the weekend’s remaining fixtures.
Liverpool next travel to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United on Monday, 25 August, while Bournemouth return to action at home against Wolves next Saturday.
