My thoughts go to Diogo' - Liverpool match-winner Federico Chiesa dedicates 'very emotional' strike against Bournemouth to former Reds team-mate | Goal .com
Liverpool defeated Bournemouth in their first match of the 2025/26 season of the Premier League in a six-goal thriller as they won 4-2 at Anfield with a late comeback.
After going 2-0 down before the hour mark, the Cherries hit back with a brace from Antoine Semenyo, although Federico Chiesa’s first ever Premier League goal and a stoppage time strike from Mohamed Salah averted a winless result for Arne Slot.
Chiesa, who came off the bench, was the match-winner for Liverpool with a close-range volley off a loose aerial ball in the area. Not only did his goal send Anfield berserk but resurfaced talks of his Anfield exit, to which Arne Slot responded by saying,
“As long as he is here he is definitely at Liverpool and I have no reason to believe something is going to change. He’s had a hard time last season, getting his match fitness ready. Unfortunately for him, he missed out on our Asia tour as well, so then you miss quite a lot.”
Slot now unlikely to let Chiesa leave
Federico Chiesa’s £13 million transfer from Juventus failed to come good last year although there is little to deny about his qualities, which he has consistently displayed at club and national level in the recent past.
A brilliant start to life in the 2025/26 season could lend him a new lease of life at Anfield with Arne Slot insisting that Liverpool do not have enough offensive depth. In such a scenario, the Italian’s versatility in the final third will be handy.
While his performance against Bournemouth did not bring much apart from the all-important match-winning goal, it was a great way to start his second and potentially decisive season for the club, not least in front of the Anfield faithful on an emotional night.
It will be interesting to see how Chiesa is utilised by Slot further into the season, though it is fair to assume that with an impactful cameo off the bench, the forward has very possibly earned himself another year on Merseyside.