Anfield’s new Premier League season began with a swell of feeling and a jolt of jeopardy. On a night framed by tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, Liverpool twice seemed to have the game under control, then watched Bournemouth roar back before the champions summoned a trademark late surge. Hugo Ekitiké’s composed opener and Cody Gakpo’s crisp second had Arne Slot’s side cruising either side of the interval, only for Antoine Semenyo to strike twice and drag Andoni Iraola’s men level with 14 minutes to go.

What followed was the kind of late Anfield swing that has broken plenty of visiting hearts. Substitute Federico Chiesa volleyed Liverpool back ahead in the 88th minute, and Mohamed Salah, visibly moved by the evening’s commemorations, sealed a 4–2 win deep into stoppage time. The result brought relief for Liverpool after a disjointed middle hour, and pride for Bournemouth, whose resilience, pace in transition and personality across the pitch made this far more than a routine opening night for the champions.

A Night of Remembrance That Set the Tone for a Raw, Restless Contest

The pre-match mood was solemn and unified. A minute’s silence, black armbands and a powerful 20th-minute ovation honoured Jota’s No 20, with banners and mosaics across Anfield paying tribute to him and André Silva. Bournemouth supporters added their voice and colour to the remembrance; it felt like the entire stadium carried the occasion together before turning, almost reluctantly, to the football.

That emotion lingered in the rhythm of the game. Liverpool started with urgency yet a touch of haste, as if trying to do justice to the moment, while Bournemouth met the atmosphere by standing tall and playing with purpose. Alisson, on his 300th Liverpool appearance, was called into early action; the champions, even at 2–0, never fully escaped the sense of a night that would keep asking questions.

Liverpool’s New-Look Attack Sparks, While the Structure Still Needs Time

Slot named four summer signings from the start and got immediate returns from the most advanced of them. Ekitiké, buzzing on the shoulder of the last defender, announced himself long before the opener with sharp touches and direct running. When the chance came eight minutes before the break, he shaped Petrovic with icy calm and rolled the finish the other way. Early in the second half, he became provider, slipping Gakpo into space to drive low into the corner for 2–0.

Beneath that attacking promise, though, the machine lacked its full smoothness. Florian Wirtz was tidy in pockets without controlling the half-spaces, and the wide combinations—Jeremie Frimpong’s raids right, Milos Kerkez’s first league minutes against his former club on the left—flashed potential without consistent cover behind them. With Ryan Gravenberch suspended, Liverpool’s midfield balance drifted, leaving channels that Bournemouth repeatedly found, especially on turnovers and down the flanks. The champions won, but the tape will show work to do between lines.

Bournemouth’s Character and Semenyo’s Response Turn the Tide

If there was a single figure who embodied Bournemouth’s refusal to fold, it was Semenyo. Midway through the first half, play was halted after he reported racist abuse from the crowd—an incident condemned across the stadium and by both benches. His response was to play with greater force and clarity. First he arrived unmarked to sweep in David Brooks’ low cross on 64 minutes; then, 12 minutes later, he surged from deep through a stretched midfield and placed a clean equaliser beyond Alisson.

Iraola’s team had already signalled their intent before Liverpool’s opener. Marcus Tavernier had scuffed a good chance, and Adrien Truffert—one of the summer reinforcements after a lucrative defensive exodus—delivered dangerous service from the left. Even at 2–0 down, Bournemouth didn’t shrink. They pressed in bursts, countered with conviction and targeted space behind Kerkez and around Liverpool’s midfield screen. The away end sensed something brewing long before 2–2 arrived.

Flashpoints, Fine Margins and a Game That Wouldn’t Settle

There was controversy early when Marcos Senesi appeared to handle as Ekitiké looked set to break clear; Liverpool expected a dismissal and a free-kick in prime territory, but the decision went Bournemouth’s way. Later, the match paused after Semenyo’s report to the referee; stewards and managers were summoned, and a supporter was escorted away at half-time. The balance of decisions and emotions could easily have spun the contest into chaos.

Instead, the football kept escalating. Liverpool coughed up possession cheaply for Bournemouth’s second, and Anfield tightened. Slot’s changes then tilted the field back. Chiesa, introduced off the bench, attacked a late cross with the timing and technique of a player who has been waiting for a moment; his 88th-minute volley was beautifully controlled in a crowded box. Salah’s stoppage-time strike—drilled low, decisive—restored daylight and, with it, the catharsis the night seemed to demand.

What the Performances Say About Both Sides on Day One

For Liverpool, the headlines belong to Ekitiké’s seamless debut, Chiesa’s impact, and Salah’s inevitable opening-day goal. The underlying story is different: the champions can cut opponents open, but the midfield compactness and rest-defence that underpinned last season’s stroll will need re-tuning with so many new pieces. Vulnerability down the sides and in transition reappeared, echoing themes from the Community Shield, and the absence of a natural stabiliser was felt once Bournemouth turned up the heat.

For Bournemouth, there was far more encouragement than despair. Rebuilt at the back after big-money departures, they were brave with and without the ball, carried a constant threat on the break and showed the collective steel Iraola has instilled. Semenyo’s double showcased both his quality and his character, while Truffert’s debut and the team’s willingness to press for a winner at 2–2 spoke to a group that believes it belongs on stages like this. They leave with no points, but with a performance that travels.

The Road Immediately Ahead Feels Demanding—and Promising

Liverpool depart with three points, a lesson in early-season turbulence, and the reminder that their late-game gears still bite when it matters. Integrating talent like Ekitiké, Frimpong, Kerkez and Wirtz will raise the ceiling; tidying the distances and discipline behind them will raise the floor. Slot has time, but the fixture list will test that learning curve quickly.

Bournemouth take the kind of defeat that coaches often prize in August: a display that confirms identity and exposes details to sharpen. With Iraola bedding in new defenders and the attacking patterns already crisp, the Cherries look capable of troubling most opponents—champions included. If this is their baseline, the points will come soon enough.