Liverpool opened their Premier League campaign with a thrilling 4–2 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield on an emotionally charged night, marked by a tribute to the late Diogo Jota.
While the game delivered end-to-end drama, it was marred by an alleged incident of racist abuse aimed at Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, which briefly halted proceedings.
The early stages were not without controversy. In just the 10th minute, Bournemouth’s Marcos Senesi appeared to blatantly handle the ball while trying to stop Hugo Ekitike’s run, but VAR saw no infringement, awarding the visitors a free-kick instead, much to the disbelief of the Liverpool players.
Play was temporarily stopped on the half-hour mark when Semenyo reported the alleged racial abuse to match officials, with both managers consulted before the game resumed.
Six minutes later, Ekitike gave the Reds the breakthrough, shrugging off Senesi’s challenge before drilling a low strike into the far corner.
Shortly after the restart, he turned provider, setting up Cody Gakpo, who weaved past two defenders and produced a sublime finish to double the lead.
Florian Wirtz nearly made it 3–0 on his debut, only for his curling effort to drift narrowly wide.
That miss proved costly as Dominik Szoboszlai lost possession in midfield, allowing Bournemouth to counter and Semenyo to slot home from close range.
The Cherries stunned the home crowd in the 75th minute when Semenyo embarked on a sensational 60-yard solo run, breezing past Ibrahima Konaté before firing past Alisson to level the score.
However, Liverpool’s resolve shone through. Substitute Federico Chiesa restored the advantage in the 88th minute with a sharp volley after Bournemouth failed to clear their lines.
Moments later, Mohamed Salah sealed the win in trademark style, gliding past defenders before finishing coolly to wrap up an enthralling opening-night triumph for the Reds.
