Liverpool leave it late to beat Bournemouth in emotional season opener

Liverpool began their Premier League title defence with a dramatic late win over Bournemouth on an emotional night at Anfield, Sport360NG reports.

Before kick-off, the stadium paid tribute to former forward Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, who died in a car accident in July. A minute’s silence was observed before the match, while applause rang out in the 20th minute in honour of Jota’s shirt number.

Manager Arne Slot handed Premier League debuts to four of his summer signings, and it was £70m arrival Hugo Ekitike who broke the deadlock eight minutes before half-time with a composed finish. The Frenchman then turned provider early in the second half, setting up Cody Gakpo to double Liverpool’s lead.

The night took a serious turn in the first half when referee Anthony Taylor halted play after Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo reported being racially abused from the crowd.

Semenyo responded in the best possible way, halving the deficit after 64 minutes and then levelling with a quick counter-attack 14 minutes from time. At that stage, Bournemouth looked set to take a point, but substitute Federico Chiesa put Liverpool back in front with two minutes left, before Mohamed Salah sealed the win in stoppage time.

Liverpool analysis – Ekitike impresses, but cracks show

Slot wasted no time integrating his expensive recruits, starting Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, against his former club, Florian Wirtz and Ekitike. Of the quartet, Ekitike was the standout performer, earning a standing ovation when replaced on 71 minutes.

Wirtz was quiet in the No. 10 role, and Liverpool’s overall performance lacked the composure and fluency that defined Slot’s title-winning debut season. As in the Community Shield defeat to Crystal Palace, defensive frailties were evident, with Bournemouth frequently finding space out wide and through midfield in the absence of suspended Ryan Gravenberch.

Ultimately, the champions dug deep when it mattered, Chiesa making a decisive impact before Salah finished the job. But the bedding-in process for Slot’s new-look side is clearly still underway.

Bournemouth analysis, Encouraging signs despite late heartbreak

Facing the reigning champions at Anfield was a daunting start to the season for Andoni Iraola’s side, especially after a summer in which key defenders Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi and Kerkez departed, bringing in £147m.

Yet Bournemouth rose to the challenge, showing resilience and character, led by the outstanding Semenyo. After alerting the referee to racial abuse in the first half, he responded with two well-taken goals and relentless energy.

Iraola’s new signings, Adrien Truffert and Bafode Diakite, looked assured, and the club is in talks to sign Scotland forward Ben Doak from Liverpool.

Though denied a result by Liverpool’s late rally, Bournemouth’s display suggested they will be more than competitive this season.