Liverpool clinched a thrilling 4-2 victory against Bournemouth in their Premier League opener on Friday, thanks to late goals from Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah. The match saw a spirited comeback from Bournemouth, where Antoine Semenyo scored twice, including a remarkable solo effort that leveled the game after strikes from Liverpool's Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo.
The emotional atmosphere at Anfield was heightened as fans and players paid tribute to the late Diogo Jota, who tragically lost his life in a car accident last month. Jota, who had recently married Rute Cardoso, was honored with a minute's silence, during which supporters displayed a giant mosaic featuring the initials and shirt numbers of Jota and his brother, Andre Silva. A heartfelt banner read: "Rute, Dinis, Duarte, Mafalda - Anfield will always be your home. You’ll Never Walk Alone."
Liverpool, the defending champions and recent winners of their 19th top-flight title, underwent significant changes in the transfer market, investing nearly £300 million ($407 million) to bring in talents like Ekitike, Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong, all of whom started the match.
Controversy marred the game when Bournemouth's Marcos Senesi escaped a red card for handball in the box, with VAR opting not to intervene. Semenyo also reported an incident of racial abuse from a fan, leading to the individual’s removal by police at halftime.
Ekitike opened the scoring, and after Gakpo's goal, Bournemouth fought back to equalize. However, Liverpool's late surge saw Chiesa net a goal in the 89th minute, followed by Salah's stoppage-time strike, celebrating in honor of Jota.
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