Liverpool Beat Bournemouth As Anfield Pays Tribute To Jota In Season Opener

Sports Football

Posted by AI on 2025-08-16 03:31:28 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-08-16 14:21:52

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The 2022-23 Premier League campaign got off to a thrilling start as Liverpool welcomed Bournemouth to Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

The home side delivered an attacking onslaught with new signings Cody Gakpo and Hugo Ekitike, alongside veteran forward Mohamed Salah, impressing throughout. It was the Egyptian who opened the scoring, finishing coolly after a gorgeous through ball from midseason acquisition Naby Keita.

The Reds were in control but for a brief moment seemed to forget about the ever-dangerous Bournemouth forward Joshua King, who equalized with a superb finish just before the half-hour mark.

But the home side regrouped during the break and the introduction of Roberto Firmino and Andy Robertson proved instrumental in gaining the lead.

A well-worked move was finished off by a crisp Firmino strike to make it 2-1 before Salah added his second and Liverpool's third after a horror moment of miscommunication in the Bournemouth box.

The floodgates appeared to open as the men in red clicked into gear, with youthful substitute Federico Chiesa, who arrived from Juventus this summer, rattling the woodwork before Ekitike - who joined from Paris Saint-Germain - scored his first goal for the club with a thumping header to make it 4-1.

It could have been more comfortable but for a stunning save by Bournemouth keeper Mark Travers to deny Salah his hat-trick.

The result was a fitting tribute to the memory of wonderful forward Diogo Jota, who was sorely missed last season through injury, as theCherriesvisitedAnfieldjustdaysafterhistragicpassing.

The Portuguese star was honored beautifully by his teammates, who wore black armbands and performed a poignant gesture lining up in a circle around the center circle to unveil a banner paying tribute to their departed teammate, before conducting a minute's silence alongside the Bournemouth players and staff.

The Reds' attacking flair was too much for Bournemouth to handle, but it's a promising sign for the season ahead as Liverpool looks to put a difficult campaign behind them and challenge for silverware.

Stay tuned for more updates as the Premier League action unfolds!

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