Anfield, the stage where the true star still shines
By Diogo Jota. This was the motto chosen by the Premier League to launch the first round of the 34th edition of the competition, which, as has been customary in recent seasons, began with the reigning champions taking action. Before the match against Bournemouth, Liverpool once again paid tribute to the Portuguese international, as well as his brother André Silva, in a gesture that will be repeated throughout the ten matches of this round. To commemorate the players, the Premier League declared a minute's silence before all matches and required all players to wear black armbands. It's worth remembering that the Super Cup, held last weekend, also saw tributes with wreaths and a minute's silence.
A commemorative T-shirt in memory of Diogo Jota has been launched by @LFCRetail , with all profits going to @LFCFoundation to support a grassroots football program in his name ❤️
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 15, 2025
That match proved to be a dark memory for the Reds , who fell to Cup winners Crystal Palace on penalties (2-2, 3-2) . Even so, Liverpool knew they would begin their title defense at Anfield, in front of their own fans, against a team they had beaten in 12 of their last 13 matches. With reinforcements Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitiké, Jeremie Frimpong, and Milos Kerkez increasingly established in the starting eleven, the absence of Ryan Gravenberch due to suspension was the only negative for Arne Slot, who could count on Alexis Mac Allister again. In goal, despite the signing of Giorgi Mamardashvili, Alisson Becker remained the number one. The day was also marked by the signing of Giovanni Leoni, the English club's new center-back.
"We know this will be a very emotional occasion, as it's our first league game since losing Diogo and André. As I said before, the tributes paid by the entire football world, and especially the Liverpool community, have been truly special, and I know we'll be gathered this Friday to honor them once again. We're happy to be back. There's nothing like Anfield, and we're all eager to begin our journey. We know it will be a difficult start for us. There were many positives in preseason, as well as some areas where we clearly need to improve. Last season, we had a lot of possession, but that didn't always result in promising situations. Now, we're better at creating and creating promising situations," shared Slot in the match preview.
As expected, Slot launched four reinforcements from the start, with Frimpong and Kerkez playing on both wings, while Ekitiké and Wirtz joined Mo Salah and Cody Gakpo in attack. On the away side, Andoni Iraola started former FC Porto player Evanilson. The official broadcast of the match began with an emotional video tribute to Diogo Jota, set to the tune of "You'll Never Walk Alone" and featuring images of the Portuguese player playing for Liverpool. The players then entered the field to the sound of Jota's chant, followed by the traditional moment of the famous song that has become the Reds ' anthem. Kick-off was preceded by a minute's silence in honor of Diogo Jota and André Silva, which was fully respected by Anfield, which displayed two mosaics in the stands, with the inscriptions "DJ20" and "AS30" on the green and red colors, referring to the Portuguese flag.
Minute's silence at Anfield ???? pic.twitter.com/0UmjPaytRD
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) August 15, 2025
An impeccably observed period of silence for Diogo and Andre ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0wxIkod0XH
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 15, 2025
Rute, Dinis, Duarte, Mafalda – Anfield will always be your home
You'll Never Walk Alone pic.twitter.com/6vbEEaSaTS
— O Fura-Redes (@OFuraRedes) August 15, 2025
Liverpool started the match dominantly, and just four minutes in, Salah tested Dorde Petrovic with a powerful cross from outside the box, but the goalkeeper got the better of him (4'). In the next move, Virgil van Dijk appeared dangerous in the six-yard box, heading over (5'). In response, Adrien Truffert surged forward to deliver a cross to the other flank, with Antoine Semenyo gaining control of the defense but failing to connect with his shot (6'). In the 20th minute, as expected, Anfield paid another tribute to Diogo Jota, to the now legendary "Oh, he wears the number 20. " The pace of the game eventually calmed down and became more exciting towards the end of the first half, with Ekitiké breaking free in an individual move in which he dropped down, combined with Kerkez, received the ball in front of goal, won the rebound from Marcos Senesi and, alone, shot for his second goal in two games, dedicated to Diogo Jota (37').
Minute 20 ???? pic.twitter.com/sPqr9iM5k8
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) August 15, 2025
Ekitike arrived to score ????
??????????????????????????? @premierleague | @LFC 1 x 0 @afcbournemouth #DAZNPremier pic.twitter.com/oBUBAsbNVG
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) August 15, 2025
First goal at Anfield couldn't have been anything other than 2️⃣0️⃣ ???? pic.twitter.com/PQHT2obnin
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) August 15, 2025
At the start of the second half, Cody Gakpo received a pass from Ekitiké inside the box, wandered into the middle, and after gaining space, he fired a shot for the 2-0 lead, a goal that was again awarded to Jota (49'). Shortly after, Mac Allister tried a long-range shot, but Petrovic stretched to block the shot (52'). With Andrew Robertson and Wataru Endo already on the field, Wirtz shot just past Petrovic's post (63') and, in response, David Brooks was released on the left side of the attack, drove into the box, and crossed for Semenyo to score (64'). In response to the goal, Arne Slot freshened up the defense with Joe Gomez replacing Ekitiké, also bringing on Curtis Jones. With the cherries on top, it was through another quick transition that the equalizer appeared, with Semenyo driving into the area and shooting low for the brace (76').
Gakpo 2️⃣0️⃣ ????
??????????????????????????? @premierleague | @LFC 2 x 0 @afcbournemouth #DAZNPremier pic.twitter.com/JOz42K7mOL
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) August 15, 2025
Is there a game at Anfield ???? Semenyo
??????????????????????????? @premierleague | @LFC 2 x 1 @afcbournemouth #DAZNPremier pic.twitter.com/5JXdRAFkwZ
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) August 15, 2025
Semenyo when we least expected it ????
??????????????????????????? @premierleague | @LFC 2 x 2 @afcbournemouth #DAZNPremier pic.twitter.com/BrfKuN2KbT
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) August 15, 2025
Liverpool responded well to the goal with two dangerous shots from Dominik Szoboszlai, but Petrovic remained alert in goal (81'). Slot's final change was to replace Wirtz with Federico Chiesa, and the Italian responded immediately, finishing off a tenacious move with a first-time shot from the air (88'). To finish, Van Dijk played the ball forward, Salah received it on the left flank, dribbled past two defenders, and fired a right-footed cross for the 4-2 final, with another special dedication (90+4'). With this goal, the Egyptian reached 187 goals in the history of the English Premier League, equaling Andrew Cole's all-time tally.
CHIESAAAAAA and Anfield is going crazy ????
??????????????????????????? @premierleague | @LFC 3 x 2 @afcbournemouth #DAZNPremier pic.twitter.com/rAGPO5WECG
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) August 15, 2025
Pharaoh was missing ????
??????????????????????????? @premierleague | @LFC 4 x 2 @afcbournemouth #DAZNPremier pic.twitter.com/h9xnvPGRnW
— DAZN Portugal (@DAZNPortugal) August 15, 2025
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