Liverpool’s new hero, the crisis they MUST spend money to fix – and Bournemouth star shows big clubs what they are missing in 4-2 defeat by Arne Slot’s champions

Liverpool’s defence of their Premier League title is up and running after a night of drama at Anfield.

The opening night of the 2025-26 season will be remembered in part for reasons other than the football after Bournemouth winger Antoine Semenyo was allegedly the subject of racist abuse from a Liverpool fan during the first half.

‘This has taken the shine off the night,’ said Liverpool manager Arne Slot after his team’s 4-2 win. ‘These things just shouldn’t happen.’

On the field, Slot’s team were perhaps a little like we expected them to be. At times, irresistible with the ball but at others desperately vulnerable when they didn’t have it.

This is a Liverpool team that is in transition. If everybody thought last summer was the big one at Anfield, as Slot replaced Jurgen Klopp, they were perhaps wrong. This has been an off-season that has seen the champions sign seven players and lose an equal number while also trying to come to terms with the tragic loss of Diogo Jota.

Here are the take aways from a big opening night in Liverpool.

Liverpool’s Premier League title defence is up and running after a 4-2 win versus Bournemouth

The Reds took a 2-0 lead, the Cherries then drew level, before the hosts restored their advantage

THE KOP HAVE A NEW HERO

It was a great Liverpool striker Michael Owen who once said that the best forwards have an ability to almost slow their heart rate when a chance arrives. It’s perhaps fair to say that the departed Darwin Nunez didn’t have that natural gift. Maybe the player who has arrived in his stead really does.

The French forward Hugo Ekitike was fabulous on his league debut here. If his goal in the Community Shield was impressive last week then this was an altogether more complete performance.

The 23-year-old’s first half goal was beautifully taken. How many players would have snatched at the chance after Ekitike bustled through on goal? Given the circumstances, quite a few.

But Liverpool’s new forward waited for Bournemouth goalkeeper Dorde Petrovic to commit himself before rolling the ball in. His celebration in honour of Jota was lovely, too.

There was more, though. We have been told that Ekitike is not necessarily a number nine and maybe if Aleksander Isak arrives from Newcastle, Slot may shuffle things round. But he played like one here, coming to the ball naturally and turning to play passes that brought team-mates in to play.

Ekitike seems to have a temperament for this stage and the Liverpool fans have taken to him already. Nunez was a warrior and the Kop loved him for that. Ekitike – on this evidence – looks a far better footballer already.

‘We shouldn’t take for granted what Ekitike has done over the last two weeks,’ said Gary Neville on SKY. Quite.

French forward Hugo Ekitike was fabulous on his league debut and can be the Kop’s new hero

CAN THEY CLOSE THE DOOR?

On TV afterward, former Liverpool captain Jamie Carragher told Slot that he was ‘worried’ about how open his team were when Bournemouth came at them and it’s hard to disagree.

This was a thrilling victory for Liverpool and the crucial third goal scored by Federico Chiesa on the volley was much harder to execute than it first seemed. But the detail of the game will perhaps concern Slot more than he was letting on last night.

Bournemouth could have scored twice before Liverpool took the lead and then simply tore the champions open on the break as Semenyo ripped through to bring his team back in to the game and then level.

All teams concede goals, of course, and Bournemouth remain a very capable team. They will beat good teams this season. But Liverpool tend to concede the same kind of goals on repeat and that is always a bad sign.

Slot tried to laugh off Carragher’s criticism after this game but the fact is that his full-backs were caught up field on both occasions as Semenyo punished Liverpool and with their most naturally defensive player Ryan Gravenberch not available, there were far too many holes in front of the Liverpool central defenders.

Liverpool’s pursuit of Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi is well known and they may well sign him. But he wont solve this problem on his own. Liverpool need to be more secure when teams come at them and that’s a tactical and collective thing rather than something for one player to cure.

Liverpool go to Newcastle a week on Monday. Eddie Howe will have been encouraged by some of what he will have seen here.

Liverpool have blown leads in consecutive game, which will be worrying for boss Arne Slot

Manager Andoni Iraola has proved he can find solutions and will do so again for Bournemouth

IRAOLA WILL FIND SOLUTIONS

It hasn’t been a good summer for Bournemouth off the field. After last season’s progressive campaign, the south coast club have lost £150m worth of talent, including two of their best defenders and a goalkeeper. That would test most managers, never mind one working at a club with relatively limited budget.

But Andoni Iraola showed last year that he is a manager who has the ability to find solutions where there don’t seem to be any. That’s why clubs like Tottenham briefly considered him early in the summer.

Last season, Bournemouth punished good teams by drawing them on to them and then turning over possession and striking. That is how they scored their two goals at Anfield – both moves started deep in their own half – but they also spent good spells building possession and pressure. Maybe this is a sign of tactical progression.

Whatever the case, Semenyo recovered from the difficulties of the first half to score two fabulous goals and it was hard not to feel pleased for him. It was good of Slot to check on him after the game, too. It had not been an easy night for the 25-year-old, a player who has really come to the fore over the last 18 months after an early career that found him at Bristol City and then on loan at Bath, Newport and Sunderland.

The Ghana international has just signed a new contract that is due to last until 2030. That’s a smart piece of work by Bournemouth but also begs the question why one of the big clubs hasn’t tried to buy him.