Liverpool's Dramatic Late Victory Honors Jota's Memory in Premier League Opener

Liverpool began their Premier League title defense with an emotional and dramatic 4-2 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield, where tributes to the late Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a July car crash, provided a poignant backdrop to the evening's proceedings. A pre-match minute's silence and 20th-minute applause honored the forward who wore Liverpool's number 20 jersey.

New manager Arne Slot's revamped side, featuring four summer signings in the starting lineup, took control through £70m acquisition Hugo Ekitike, who scored before halftime and then assisted Cody Gakpo to double the lead shortly after the break. The match seemed headed for a comfortable home victory until Bournemouth mounted an unexpected comeback.

The game featured a concerning moment when referee Anthony Taylor halted play after Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo reported racial abuse from the crowd. Showing remarkable resilience, Semenyo responded on the pitch by scoring twice – first in the 64th minute and again with 14 minutes remaining – to level the match and silence the Anfield crowd.

Just as the visitors appeared set to claim a valuable point, Federico Chiesa, making his Premier League debut after his summer transfer from Juventus, emerged as the unlikely hero by scoring his first goal for the club with just two minutes remaining. Mohamed Salah then sealed the victory with a trademark finish in front of the Kop end.

The dramatic win provides Slot with a positive start to his Liverpool tenure as he attempts to build on the foundation left by Jürgen Klopp, while demonstrating both the attacking potential and defensive vulnerabilities of his new-look side in this early stage of the season.