Anfield was a place of both celebration and sorrow on Friday night as Liverpool opened their Premier League title defence with a dramatic 4-2 victory over Bournemouth.
Goals from Hugo Ekitike, Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, and Mohamed Salah secured the points, but the night will be remembered most for the emotional tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva.
The defining image came at full-time when Salah, who sealed the win deep into stoppage time, stood alone in front of the Kop mimicking Jota’s trademark ‘shark’ celebration after scoring, before breaking down in tears as fans sang Jota’s name.
With his teammates already heading down the tunnel, Salah stayed rooted to the penalty area, applauding supporters as the Kop thundered out Jota’s song. Tears streamed down his face in a raw, heartfelt moment for a teammate he called both a friend and a brother.
Before kick-off, Anfield came together to honour Jota and Andre Silva, who tragically passed away in July. A minute’s silence was impeccably observed as the Kop held up a green, red, and white mosaic spelling out “DJ20,” while images of the pair were displayed on the big screens.
Both teams wore black armbands, and Liverpool players carried the “Forever 20” emblem on their shirts a season-long tribute following the retirement of Jota’s number 20 shirt across all levels of the club. Fans also sang Jota’s name at the first minute, the 20th minute, and again long after the final whistle.
Ekitike, Chiesa, and Gakpo all paid their own tributes after scoring, forming the number 20 with their hands.
Jota, who played five seasons at Anfield, was part of the club’s 20th league title and Portugal’s Nations League triumph last summer. His memory will now be permanently enshrined outside the stadium with a sculpture created from supporter tributes.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot admitted he found the occasion deeply moving, praising the way supporters honoured Jota and Andre, summing up his thoughts in three words — “wow, wow, wow”.
“The main emotion I think should be how impressive and how powerful the tribute for Diogo was.
The banner that the Kop showed, the way ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ was sung, the way they sung the song for Diogo before the game, in the first minute, after 20 minutes, after the game.
It was all so, so impressive and so powerful.”
The Dutchman described the final minutes, with Anfield in full voice after Chiesa and Salah’s late goals, as unlike anything he had imagined.
“Unbelievable atmosphere in the final minutes. I thought winning the league here would be more special than a home win against Bournemouth but the last six minutes… Wow, wow, wow. How impressive that was.”
Slot also reflected on Salah’s tearful reaction after the match, though admitted he had not spoken to the forward directly.
“I’m not sure [how Mo is] because I didn’t ask him. I actually didn’t want to go in after the game because I found it so special, how our fans reacted today. How they kept on singing after the game for Diogo. And the whole tribute, the whole day, the whole game…
Every time you think you cannot expect more from Liverpool fans, they top this or they overperform. Again, what a tribute.
I think Mo felt, after the game, how special that was. He probably also felt the emotion because we all knew his family is here, his wife is here, his children are here. For them, it might be special to hear how much he is loved over here. What the fans did. But we also feel the emotions of how much grief they still have.
That mixed emotions maybe led to Mo being emotional. I think I felt the same without being in tears, but I definitely felt the same emotions.”
For Liverpool, the new season began with three points, goals, and glimpses of promise from their new signings. But the night will forever be remembered as a tribute to Diogo Jota and Andre Silva and a reminder that some victories carry deeper meaning than the scoreline itself.
