Liverpool duo Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah came to the rescue of their side as the Reds kickstarted their Premier League title defence with a 4-2 win over AFC Bournemouth on Friday night. After watching his teammates throw away a two goal lead, Chiesa came off of the bench to restore Liverpool’s advantage in the 89th minute with a sweet volley to send Anfield into a frenzy.
Salah then put the game to bed in the dying embers of the clash to ensure that Antoine Semenyo’s impressive brace in the second half were all but forgotten on Merseyside. Hugo Ekitike had opened for Liverpool with a composed finish in the first half before teeing up Cody Gakpo to double Liverpool’s lead after the half-time break.
Express Sport takes a look at how Arne Slot’s side fared on the opening night of the new campaign…
Alisson – 6
Couldn’t do much about Semenyo’s opener and was left flat-footed for his second. Wasn’t forced into many saves otherwise.
Jeremie Frimpong – 6 (Endo, 60’)
Provided plenty of width and energy but wouldn’t have made the impact that he hoped to on his league debut.
Virgil van Djik – 6
Not his finest night, though through no true fault of his own. Made several key blocks but with very little support from his centre-back partner or fullbacks, he wasn’t at his very best.
Ibrahima Konate – 4
Similarly to the Community Shield final, the defender looks like his mind is elsewhere. Poorly positioned on several occasions and almost played his side into trouble with some stray passes. Caught out by David Brooks’ pace for the Bournemouth goal and bizarrely refused to engage with Semenyo as he beared down on goal for the second.
Milos Kerkez – 4 (Robertson, 60’)
Something of an immature debut by the defender, who looked fixated on proving his worth against his former club. Rashly dived into a handful of challenges and was understandably booked. Capable of better.
Alexis Mac Allister – 7 (Jones, 70’)
Strong performance from the Argentine as he continues to work his way back to full fitness. Showed grit defensively and almost bagged a goal with a fierce strike in the second half.
Dominic Szoboszlai – 6
Worked hard but made some key mistakes late on, giving the ball away for the Bournemouth opener and making the wrong decision when offered space in the final third.
Florian Wirtz – 6 (Chiesa, 82)
A few neat touches and passes but a performance of someone settling into life in the Premier League. No doubts about his talent nevertheless.
Mohamed Salah – 9
Bright performance from the Egyptian, causing plenty of issues down the right with his pace and trickery. Fully deserved his goal late on to continue his impressive record on the opening game of the season.
Hugo Ekitike – 9 (Gomez, 70’)
Impressive debut by the Frenchman. Made his own luck before taking his goal well and linked up play impressively throughout. If the ex-Eintracht Frankfurt star can build on this display, he will be a defenders nightmare this season.
Cody Gakpo – 8
Showed great composure to weave past a number of players and slot home for his goal, and his desire to cut inside and influence play centrally did cause Bournemouth problems.
Substitutes
Federico Chiesa – 8
He’d only touched the ball once prior to slamming his volley beyond Petrovic, but that was all he needed to assert his cult hero status among the Liverpool faithful.
Joe Gomez – 6
A steadier option in right-back to teammate Endo.
Curtis Jones – 7
Made some great runs in behind the Bournemouth backline late on and pushed his side forward with his neat buildup.
Wataru Endo – 5
Looked uncomfortable in right-back in a change which turned the tide on the clash.
Andrew Robertson – 5
Caught sleeping for Semenyo’s opener and was no where to be seen when Bournemouth broke for their second. When Liverpool needed to lean on the Scot for his experience to see the game out, he wasn’t able to provide it.
