Liverpool vs Bournemouth Match Review: From Collapse to Comeback, Liverpool’s Wild Opening Night! | OneFootball

Anfield roared, then gasped, then roared again. On an opening night laced with grief, glory, and controversy, Liverpool twice let victory slip from their grasp before clawing it back in the dying minutes. Anfield’s first Premier League night of the season had everything: emotional tributes, superb goals, defensive frailties, late drama, and an alleged incident of racial abuse that overshadowed an otherwise pulsating contest.

Antoine Semenyo’s explosive double had stunned the champions, erasing a two-goal lead built by debutant Hugo Ekitiké and Cody Gakpo.

But under the floodlights, Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah rose from the chaos. They struck in the final moments to give Arne Slot’s defending champions a 4-2 victory over Bournemouth, salvaging a game that had appeared to slip away after Antoine Semenyo’s second-half brace wiped out a two-goal Liverpool lead.

It was a match of searing emotion, defensive fragility, and breathtaking resilience – a season’s worth of drama packed into 90 minutes.

A Night of Emotion for Diogo Jota

The evening began with football set aside for remembrance. Liverpool paid tribute to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, both tragically killed in a car accident in July. The Kop displayed mosaics reading “DJ 20” and “AS 30”, while banners carried the names of Jota’s wife and children, assuring them Anfield would always be their home.

Both teams wore black armbands, Bournemouth supporters joined the applause in the 20th minute, and the pre-match rendition of You’ll Never Walk Alone carried a weight and beauty rarely heard.

Early Patterns and New Faces

Slot’s first league selection featured marquee signing Hugo Ekitiké leading the line, with Florian Wirtz operating as a central creator. Liverpool’s early possession play flowed smoothly, with Ekitiké displaying mature hold-up play and link work, twice releasing Salah into dangerous areas. Bournemouth’s debutant goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic was immediately tested by Salah’s trademark curling effort.

Defensively, however, Liverpool looked uneasy. Former Liverpool man Milos Kerkez’s replacement, Adrien Truffert, found space to deliver low crosses, while Ibrahima Konaté misjudged a backpass to concede a needless corner. Semenyo, sharp from the outset, drew an early booking from Kerkez with his direct running.

Controversy at 0-0

The match’s rhythm was interrupted in the first half when Semenyo alleged he had been racially abused by a fan in the Main Stand. Referee Anthony Taylor halted play, speaking with both managers as stewards and police investigated. At half-time, a man in a wheelchair was escorted away after officials reviewed footage.

The incident appeared to unsettle Liverpool more than Bournemouth, who continued to threaten through Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson before the champions struck first.

Ekitiké Opens His Account

Liverpool’s breakthrough came in the 38th minute. Ekitiké, exchanging passes with Alexis Mac Allister, burst through after a ricochet off Marcos Senesi. The French forward showed composure beyond his years, sending Petrovic the wrong way with a side-foot finish to the far corner.

Minutes later, he could have doubled his tally, heading over from Cody Gakpo’s cross. Still, Liverpool took their slender advantage into the interval.

Gakpo Doubles the Lead

Four minutes after the restart, Gakpo appeared to seal the contest. Cutting laterally across the Bournemouth defence from left to right, the Dutchman found space to drill a low right-foot finish inside Petrovic’s post. Liverpool, buoyed by the cushion, looked increasingly dangerous in possession.

Mac Allister stung the goalkeeper’s palms from a distance, and Wirtz spun to send a shot inches wide. The crowd sensed the points were secure. They were wrong.

Semenyo’s Two-Punch Response

Bournemouth, resilient and direct under Andoni Iraola, exploited Liverpool’s defensive slackness. In the 64th minute, David Brooks’ low cross from the left found Semenyo stealing ahead of Van Dijk and substitute Andrew Robertson to score from close range.

The equaliser arrived in devastating fashion in the 76th minute. Salah’s misplaced pass on the edge of the Bournemouth area was seized upon by Hamed Traorè, who released Semenyo deep in his own half. The Ghanaian surged unchallenged over 60 yards before wrong-footing Alisson with a precise low strike. The Anfield crowd, jubilant minutes earlier, now watched their side teeter under pressure.

Chiesa and Salah Complete the Escape

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – AUGUST 15: Mohamed Salah of Liverpool celebrates scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield on August 15, 2025 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Slot turned to Chiesa, and the Italian delivered in the 88th minute. As a loose ball dropped inside the Bournemouth area, Chiesa adjusted superbly to hook a right-foot volley past Petrovic.

In stoppage time, Salah ensured his customary opening-day goal, darting into the box to finish low across the goalkeeper – his tenth such strike for Liverpool in the opening-day fixture of the league. The Egyptian’s celebration in front of the Kop, tears in his eyes, reflected both relief and the lingering emotion of the tribute to Jota.

Tactical Takeaways

Liverpool in Possession – Slot’s 4-2-3-1, with Wirtz as the advanced midfielder, produced fluid combinations between lines. Ekitiké’s willingness to drop and link enabled Salah and Gakpo to attack space inside. However, the lack of defensive cover when full-backs advanced left the centre-backs exposed to transitions.

Liverpool Without the Ball -The high line and aggressive pressing left them vulnerable to direct counterattacks. Bournemouth’s equaliser sequences were textbook examples of how to disrupt Slot’s build-up: win the ball in midfield, break at speed, and isolate the last defenders.

Bournemouth’s Approach – Iraola’s side combined organised defensive work with rapid transitional threat. Semenyo was their central weapon, using acceleration and decision-making to stretch Liverpool. The Cherries’ pressing moments targeted Liverpool’s midfield pivots, forcing hurried passes and turnovers.

Statistical Notes

Possession: Liverpool 61% – Bournemouth 39%

Shots on Target: Liverpool 10 – Bournemouth 3

Expected Goals (xG): Liverpool 2.15 – Bournemouth 1.63

Looking Ahead

As the Kop finally exhaled, Anfield’s lights caught the faces of players who had been dragged to the brink, then hauled themselves back. Liverpool’s opener had been clinical, their collapse alarming, and their finale irresistible.

Semenyo’s brilliance had threatened to script a famous away point; Chiesa’s poise and Salah’s inevitability tore it up. Yet beneath the celebration lingered questions – about defensive frailty, about the mental steel that champions must summon again.

Liverpool’s quality in attack remains unquestioned, but their defensive vulnerability – evident even in victory – will concern Slot ahead of tougher assignments. For Bournemouth, this performance, despite the defeat, offered evidence they can trouble the league’s elite, especially with Semenyo in this form.

This was no routine victory; it was a reminder that in football’s theatre, the final act can rewrite the entire play. The season, it seems, has only just begun

Final Score: Liverpool 4-2 Bournemouth