Liverpool v Bournemouth - Premier League
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It was a big day at Anfield on Friday. The Premier League returned to action, and Liverpool began their title defense after being crowned champions last season. It looked for a while like the Reds might have squandered a two goal lead when a brace from Antoine Semenyo evened the game.
Federico Chiesa was introduced into the match at 81 minutes, and by minute 88, he scored what would end up being the deciding goal to earn Liverpool the victory. This was a huge moment for the Italian who had a tough start to his Liverpool career due to injury. It was his first Premier League goal, a milestone capped off with three points for the home team.
After the match, Chiesa was interviewed and admitted that he felt very emotional when it happened.
“It is [the moment I’ve been waiting for]. It’s a great goal!” Chiesa told the official site.
“It was really emotional today and after I scored, my thoughts went to Diogo, to Andre, to his family who were here today. It was really emotional. The goal was for him. In my mind, I think that Diogo was somewhere in here helping me to score this goal. I’d like to think like that. He’s always with us, he’s going to be with us.”
He also described the experience of scoring in front of the Kop, saying, “Above all, at Anfield it seems like in the second half when you attack towards the Kop, it feels like the ball wants to go inside the net. And today, I want to think that we had also the help of Diogo and his brother up there.”
It would be wonderful if this season we see Chiesa make a case for himself, even amidst the many new and exciting players that have arrived this summer. Friday’s goal was a good first step, and the season is long and full of opportunities to shine, provided he can remain healthy this time.