On a night marked by strong emotions with the various and well-deserved tributes to Diogo Jota at the opening of the 2025/26 Premier League, Liverpool and Bournemouth delivered a great opening game to open the season of the best soccer league in the world, with the Reds claiming a fine 4-2 victory at Anfield.
The familiarity of the old players in the squad and the ambition of the reinforcements meant that the Reds had a good first half with the intensity of Arne Slot's team, even if the visitors surprised with an attacking attitude even when playing away from home, which made the match even more competitive.
With possession balanced by Bournemouth, Liverpool managed to overcome the opposition defense for the first time in the 37th minute, when Ekitike received a pass from Mac Allister and counted himself lucky to shoot coolly and score the first goal of the 2025/26 Premier League season. Right at the start of the second half, the Frenchman looked good again and provided a fine assist for Cody Gakpo to finish with great class.
Everything looked as if Liverpool would go on to win the game with ease, but Bournemouth adapted their vertical strategy very well and managed to cause some serious damage. In the 64th minute, Brooks accelerated down the left and crossed into the area for Antoine Semeyo to finish past goalkeeper Alisson. Considering the case of racism he had suffered, Semeyo showed he wasn't shaken and ended up scoring the equalizer ten minutes later on a sensational counter-attack.
Liverpool stepped up their intense, attacking style of play to avoid letting the win slip away, but peace of mind came only in the final minutes, when Federico Chiesa came on in place of Wirtz and needed just five minutes on the pitch to take advantage of the ball being knocked into the box and shoot first time. In stoppage time, Salah paid tribute to Diogo Jota with his fourth and decisive goal, before leaving the pitch in tears as the fans celebrated.