Liverpool's season opener talking points: Dramatic, controversial and emotional

Liverpool got their season off to a winning start but made hard work of it against Bournemouth at Anfield. After racing into a 2-0 lead through Ekitike and Gakpo, they somehow let the Cherries back in to level things at 2-2 before Chiesa and Salah secured the points. It was dramatic, controversial, and emotional - everything you'd expect from a Premier League opener.

Let's get this straight - it's 2025 and we're still dealing with this kind of incidents? Bournemouth striker Semenyo getting abused from the stands is beyond shameful. Fair play to him for speaking up and to Antony Taylor for stopping the game properly. The fan needs to be thrown out permanently and deserves punishment. Liverpool need to make sure that such incidents don't happen in the future, there are no excuses.

Nobody saw this coming. Chiesa looked finished at Liverpool, hardly played last season, ignored for the Community Shield, probably packing his bags. Boom. Came on as a super sub when Liverpool were drawing 2-2 and smashes home the winner with his second touch. Sometimes football just gives you these mad moments. One minute you're heading for the exit door, next minute you're the hero at the Kop end. That volley was stupendous.

That Senesi handball near the halfway line in the first half was handball surely. Arm out, stops the ball, looks deliberate as anything. But apparently not according to VAR. The Cherries should have been down to 10 men as he was the last man there. What's the point of having the technology if we're not able to get these calls right? This would have been a sore talking point had Liverpool dropped points tonight.

Credit where it's due. After all abuses from the stands, Semenyo still put in a top performance. Especially his second goal was pure class, picking the ball up in his own box and running the full length before burying it. A classic counter-attacking goal.

Mo wasn't brilliant last night, but does it matter? He still delivers. He always scores on opening day and this time it came in the injury time. Even his off days find him on the scoresheet.

This kid's got everything. That first goal was lovely, but it's all the other stuff - his touch, the way he links play, always seems to be in the right spot. Liverpool might've found themselves a proper player here. Reminds you why they were so keen to get him.

The defending champions might have finished the game on a winning note, but letting Bournemouth back in like that gives Arne Slot a lot of worry. He has to do a lot of work in defence and off the ball structure. Too much space between the lines. Slot won't be happy with that even though they got the three.

 The whole of Anfield was emotional. Diogo Jota's memory will live on forever.