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Arne Slot said he would've liked to bring Diogo Jota on in Liverpool's 4-2 win over Bournemouth on Friday. The two sides faced off in the Premier League 2025-26 opener at Anfield.
Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, tragically died in a car accident on July 3. Tributes have poured in for the brothers from all over the world as they mourn two great footballers. Liverpool played their first competitive match since the tragic incident on Friday against Bournemouth.
The Reds started well, leading 2-0 through goals from Hugo Ekitike (37') and Cody Gakpo (49'). However, Antonie Semenyo restored parity with a brace (64', 76'). After the game, Arne Slot said that he would've loved to bring on Jota at that moment, saying (via Mirror):
"Normally at 2-2 everyone knows which player I look to at that moment in time. I would have loved to bring in Diogo Jota, but I could not for terrible reasons. But tonight the fans and the players did what he did for us many times in the past."
Federico Chiesa scored in the 88th minute, while Mohamed Salah added another in the 90+4th minute to secure the win for Liverpool.
Federico Chiesa pays tribute to Diogo Jota after match-winning cameo in Liverpool's win over Bournemouth
The Reds signed Federico Chiesa from Juventus in the summer of 2024. However, due to his injuries and form issues, he couldn't make a big impact. He recorded two goals and two assists in 14 appearances last season, with none of them being in the Premier League.
However, Chiesa came on in the 82nd minute against Bournemouth on Friday and scored Liverpool's third goal six minutes later. After the game, he remembered Diogo Jota, telling BBC Sport:
"[The goal] was a great moment for me but my thoughts go to Diogo. I think for what we have seen it was his day. The feeling that the fans gave me, chanting his song all the way through the match. It was very emotional, very emotional for me. I have to say that after the goal my thoughts went to his family, his brother Andre. That's the only thing I could say."
"At the end of the day we have to focus on the football. We wanted to win today. It was a difficult match, we went 2-0 up and then they came back, but we showed why we are champions. Of course, Diogo would have helped us a lot but unfortunately he was somewhere else and he helped us in another way."
Incidentally, Jota's last goal for Liverpool came in a 1-0 win over Merseyside rivals Everton at Anfield on April 2, 2025.
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Aditya Singh
Aditya has been working as a European football journalist and editor for Sportskeeda for close to 4 years. He boasts a total experience of over 7 years, and always aims to inculcate proper context in his articles, making the most of his prior stints in writing and marketing across a number of different industries over the years. He has also played football at college level for 2 years.
A B.Tech. graduate, Aditya's journey as an ardent football fan began after watching the elegant maestro Zinedine Zidane in the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and his infamous headbutt on Marco Materazzi in the final. He has been a fan of Tottenham Hotspur's front foot and creative football since 2008 and connect's with the club's underdog status.
Aditya, who is a Sportskeeda 'Long-form Editor of the Month' award winner, is a big admirer of Luka Modric's elegant and hard-working style of play. His favorite manager is Carlo Ancelotti because the Italian allows his players enough freedom in an age where micromanagement is the established norm.
Aditya feels Jude Bellingham and Jamal Musiala could replicate the Messi-Ronaldo rivalry due to their incredible collective potential. In his free time, he likes to read classical fiction, travel to places, and explore a variety of foods.
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