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Slot wowed by Liverpool late show in opening win over Bournemouth

Slot wowed by Liverpool late show in opening win over Bournemouth

CNA2 days ago
LIVERPOOL, England :Liverpool kicked off the defence of their Premier League title in an entertaining 4-2 victory over Bournemouth on Friday, with manager Arne Slot bowled over by the atmosphere on an emotional Anfield evening as two late goals stole the show.
"Do you have half an hour?" the Dutchman said laughing when asked to sum up a night that started with a tribute to their Portugal forward Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last month.
Liverpool talisman Mo Salah and substitute Federico Chiesa struck after Antoine Semenyo's double drew Bournemouth level.
"Unbelievable atmosphere in the final minutes," Slot said.
"I thought that winning the league here (last season) will always be more special than winning a home game against Bournemouth, but the last six or seven minutes - wow, wow, wow, wow. How impressive that was.
"Three teams involved in a great game. Why three teams? Bournemouth and us playing full gas for 96 minutes, or even longer, 99 I think, and the referee (Anthony Taylor) who just kept the game going, didn't blow his whistle every single time for every small thing.
"It was a great game to watch. In the end, we won it. So that helps for my emotions."
However, the overriding emotion on the night, Slot said, was how "impressive and powerful the tribute for Jota was."
TOUCHING MOMENTS
There were numerous touching moments at Anfield in honour of the Liverpool forward and his brother Andre Silva, who also died in the incident in northern Spain in July.
"They sang for him (Jota) before the game, in the first minute, after 20 minutes, and again at the end. It was so impressive, so powerful," Slot said.
"His wife is here, his children are here, and for them it might be special to hear how much he's loved over here."
Scoring hero Chiesa, whose future at the club has been the subject of speculation, delivered a performance that felt like a gift to the fans who have sung his name since last season.
"He gave them something in return," Slot said.
The one negative for Liverpool was their defensive frailty, with Semenyo twice capitalising on the Reds' loose back line.
"Normally, you can complain about our players not sprinting back hard enough, but they did," Slot said.
"The only thing we need to do better, but that's in an ideal world, is where do you lose a ball? The best way is not to lose a ball. And if you do ... lose it with a shot, or it ends up in a corner kick or a goal kick, but don't lose it at your own 18-yard line.
"But I always judge, how hard do they sprint back? And in both situations, they sprinted back really hard."
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