Liverpool v Bournemouth: Premier League season opener - live

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now 15.05 EDT 4 min: Ekitike flicks a pass down the left for Gakpo, whose cross isn’t all that. Adams clears. Then Ekitike strokes another pass, this time down the right for Salah, who cuts inside and lashes a curler towards the top left. Petrovic sticks up a strong hand and tips over the bar. Share

1m ago 15.03 EDT 2 min: The Liverpool faithful segue into their first chant of “Champions!” as Ekitike takes his first shot of the evening. It’s a dribbler straight at Petrovic. Share

3m ago 15.02 EDT Liverpool get the ball rolling. Bournemouth are kicking towards the Kop in this first half. The Jota song is rattling Anfield’s roof, all that emotion released. Share

4m ago 15.01 EDT A minute of silence “in memory of Diogo Jota, our Forever 20, and his beloved brother André Silva.” Perfectly observed. A mosaic of DJ20 in the Kop, another of AS30 in the Kenny Dalglish Stand, all in Portuguese colours. And then the whistle goes, and up with the song again. View image in fullscreen Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA Share Updated at 15.05 EDT

6m ago 14.58 EDT With more tributes coming up at Anfield, Liverpool look pensive in the tunnel. Mohamed Salah on his haunches, staring at the wall, lost in thought. Then both teams emerge from the tunnel as all four corners of the stadium resonate to that song about their lad from Portugal. Every single person doing the man proud. Then the playing of You’ll Never Walk Alone, traditional but never more on point. Many glassy eyes in the stadium. Salah holds his hands over his nose and mouth, trying hard not to break down. Dominik Szoboslai throws an arm over his shoulder and taps it gently. It’s hard to watch. So sweet as well. He’ll never walk alone. Diogo Jota gave Liverpool fans goals and a glorious song. He will never be forgotten | Sachin Nakrani Read more Share

10m ago 14.54 EDT Sky Sports began their broadcast tonight with this tribute to Diogo Jota. It’s heartbreaking but heartwarming in equal measure. “A champion for his family, a champion for his country, and a champion for winning the Premier League,” concludes Arne Slot, simply but rather beautifully. The Liverpool manager, responding to the terrible news last month, said: “I wish I had the words but I know I do not.” Well, he found them, didn’t he? A tribute to Diogo Jota ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vdazuJeXUK — Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 15, 2025 Share

16m ago 14.48 EDT Pre-match postbag. “They’ll sing in the stadium, in pubs, in living rooms. #His name is Diogo# Present tense. Is. In the collective memory of the football world. I can’t imagine what it’ll be like for his wife and children in the stadium. I hope they feel the love that the club and the fans had for him” – Matt Dony “Rest in Peace to Jota, his brother, and peace to their surviving family. This may be shallow thinking but with all the shite going on worldwide, these PL MBMs bring a temporary respite for many of us” – Mary Waltz “Ekitike is already fourth on the all-time (meaning since 1992) Palindromic Surname Assist Providers list, behind Crystal Palace’s Eze (20-something), his former club-mate Ojo (one), and someone I have forgotten. Kabak is joint fourth but Ekitike is way out front among Palindromes Who Can Be Sung Along To ABBA’s Chiquitita” – Paul Griffin Three differing examples of exactly why Mary writes such kind words. Share

24m ago 14.41 EDT More from Iraola, this time on the £57m exit of centre-back Illia Zabarnyi … “It is difficult when someone like PSG, winning the Champions League, comes for one of your players … I knew it was going to happen … I am very happy for him but it will be a big miss.” … and his replacement Bafode Diakite, a £34m capture from Lille just a couple of days ago … “He is a great defender … it is probably risky to start him away here! … but he has experience in the Champions League … he will know the atmosphere … it will be a big test for him because he doesn’t have connections, the things you need with a team-mate … but we trust the player and hope he performs well.” … then finally a word on Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez replacement at left-back, Adrien Truffert. “The transition has been quite smooth … he has adapted really well … today it will be a difficult job against Mo Salah … I hope he does well!” Share

31m ago 14.33 EDT It’s Andoni Iraola’s turn to chat with Sky, and he’s first asked about the upheaval in the Bournemouth defence, with three members of last season’s back line, plus the keeper, out the door. “It is a difficult moment … a lot of uncertainty … we cannot look at the negative side, and say we do not have these players … we have new players … even more players … and we have to build something again … a new start … exciting … this game will give us some more information … pre-season is always difficult … later we will know more about our team … we face the champions at Anfield … for the players we cannot ask much more than a start here!” Share

1h ago 14.06 EDT Slot continues: “We have lost many players and brought in many … even yesterday we brought in one who is not available yet … we have lost a few very good players … the ones we brought in are special as well … in general [in pre-season] we don’t concede more chances, but the ones we do concede have led to goals.” Share Updated at 14.26 EDT

1h ago 14.00 EDT Arne Slot speaks to Sky Sports, and first addresses the impact on his squad of this tragic summer. “The players are far better than I expected five or six weeks ago … in that moment in time, you feel will it ever be possible to play again? … but they have conducted themselves so, so, so well … on both sides they were great, as a human being, but they also understood they have to be professional football players again … so we had to work hard, and that’s what we started doing.” View image in fullscreen Arne Slot chats to the Sky Sports massive ahead of kick-off. Photograph: Peter Powell/Reuters Share Updated at 14.25 EDT

1h ago 13.54 EDT Liverpool name four Premier League debutants this evening. Florian Wirtz, Hugo Ekitike, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez all start, as they did at Wembley against Crystal Palace last weekend in the Community Shield. Bournemouth aren’t far behind them in that regard. They’ve got three new players in their line-up tonight: goalkeeper Đorđe Petrović, left-back Adrien Truffert and central defender Bafodé Diakité all make their competitive debuts for the Cherries. Share

1h ago 13.49 EDT The teams Liverpool: Alisson, Frimpong, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Salah, Wirtz, Gakpo, Ekitike.

Subs: Mamardashvili, Gomez, Endo, Chiesa, Jones, Elliott, Robertson, Nyoni, Ngumoha. Bournemouth: Petrovic, Smith, Diakite, Senesi, Truffert, Adams, Scott, Brooks, Tavernier, Semenyo, Evanilson.

Subs: Dennis, Araujo, Soler, Junior Kroupi, Hill, Traore, Billing, Winterburn, Rees-Dottin. Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire). Share Updated at 14.07 EDT

1h ago 13.45 EDT Diogo Jota is pictured on the cover of this evening’s match programme. Arne Slot pays tribute to Liverpool’s No20 and his brother André Silva in his notes, which confirm that Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso, his children and family will be at Anfield this evening. There will be a moment of silence before kick-off, the players will wear black armbands, and Liverpool will wear a Forever 20 emblem on their shirts and jackets. We know that this will be a very emotional occasion, given it is the first league game we have played since we lost Diogo and André. As I have said previously, the tributes that have been paid throughout the football world, and especially within the LFC community, have been truly special, and I know that tonight we will come together to honour them once more. I believe that Diogo’s wife, his children and his family will be in attendance and it is important that, as a club, we show that they will always have our love and support as they deal with this most tragic of situations. We are there for them always.” Share Updated at 13.45 EDT

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