Liverpool kicked off their Premier League title defence with a 4-2 victory against Bournemouth at Anfield on an emotional night dedicated to former forward Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash in July alongside his brother, Andre Silva.
A minute’s silence was observed before kick-off, followed by applause in the 20th minute in tribute to Jota, who wore the number 20 shirt.
New £70m signing Hugo Ekitike marked his debut with a fine opener before setting up Cody Gakpo for Liverpool’s second early in the second half.
But the night was briefly overshadowed when referee Anthony Taylor halted play after Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo reported racist abuse from the stands.
Semenyo responded defiantly, scoring twice to level the game for Bournemouth with 14 minutes remaining. However, Federico Chiesa struck his first Premier League goal late on before Mohamed Salah sealed the win in front of The Kop.
Liverpool, under Arne Slot, begins the new campaign in familiar fashion: winning, but already showing they may need resilience to retain their crown.
