Liverpool survived a second-half Bournemouth fightback to claim a 4-2 win in the English Premier League (EPL) opener at Anfield on Friday.
Despite Antoine Semenyo’s second-half brace to pull Bournemouth from a two-goal deficit, Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah ensured Liverpool, EPL defending champions, made a winning start with late goals.
Hugo Ekitike and Cody Gakpo had put the home side ahead either side of halftime before the brief capitulation.
Victory continued Liverpool’s league dominance over Bournemouth, securing a 12th win in 13 meetings.
The first half was, however, marred by alleged racism, with Semenyo reporting a racist comment in the crowd, prompting referee Anthony Taylor to briefly halt the match at 29 minutes.
Liverpool eventually got their season up and running through Ekitike on 37 minutes, their summer signing exchanged passes with Alexis MacAllister before slotting his shot into the net for 1-0 halftime lead to Liverpool. The 23-year-old then turned provider for Gakpo, who found the bottom corner from the edge of the area to double the Reds’ lead on 48 minutes.
Similar to their Community Shield performance, the home side’s defence allowed the Cherries back in the game, with Semenyo finding space in the box to squeeze in the first on 64 minutes before embarking on a 40-yard run from his half to score a brilliant solo goal for 2-2 on 74 minutes.
Arne Slot’s side did not back down, however. Chiesa scored on the rebound from Salah’s saved shot to reclaim the lead on 88 minutes, before the Egyptian striker sealed the win in added time to hand Liverpool all three points.