At Anfield on 8/15/25

The Reds made their Premier League return on an emotional night, commemorated to Diogo Jota and his beloved brother, Andre Silva. The pair passed away in a tragic accident on July 3rd, 2025.

They faced up against Bournemouth, a side who lost four of their very best in Milos Kerkez, Dean Huijsen, Illia Zabarnyi, and Kepa Arrizabalaga. However, with Andoni Iraola at the helm, Bournemouth will always remain a dangerous team, as Arne Slot emphasized in his pre-match press conference on Thursday.

It was a nerve wracking, yet exciting return for the Reds, coming out on top 4-2. For fans who simply tune into the box score and the team sheets, this may have seemed like yet another game where Liverpool run rampant, but that is nowhere close to the actual outcome of the game.

Liverpool began the match with a lineup filled with familiar faces. Allisson started between the posts, with Van Dijk and Konate rounding out the centerbacks. In midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister played together in a pivot. And finally, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah play up top on the left and right respectively. However, along with these familiar faces comes some fresh and expensive faces. For the fullbacks, the Hungarian international Milos Kerkez paired with the Jeremie Frimpong, while Hugo Ekitike led the line in the attack. And finally, Liverpool’s new number seven, and Premier League record signing Florian Wirtz, played as the ten.

As for Bournemouth, they began with Djordje Petrovic in goal, with Marcos Senesi and Bafodé Diakité playing as the center backs. On the outside of defense, the new signing, and Kerkez replacement, Adrien Truffert stepped in, while Adam Smith rounding out the defense on the right. In the defensive midfield role, stood the American, Tyler Adams, with Marcus Tavernier and Alex Scott played at tens. Rounding out their attack was Antoine Semenyo on the right, David Brooks on the left, and Evanilson leading the line.

The game began as expected, with Liverpool controlling possession and having chances from both Ekitike and the main man, Mohamed Salah. However, in terms of goals, it was a stalemate between the two sides for most of the first half. Bournemouth had chances as well, creating a lot of chaos on the left hand side, with Truffert feeding multiple crosses into the box, simply missing the final connection towards Liverpools Brazillian in the net. However, Liverpool broke the spell by finding the back of the net first in the 37th minute. Alexis Mac Allister found Ekitike with a through ball at the top of the box, while Senesi made quite the lazy attempt at tackling him. And through a bit of sheer luck, Ekitike found himself one-on-one with the keeper, slotting it in the bottom right corner.

The remainder of the half then saw the level of play increase for Liverpool. They had seemed to find a flow, and Bournemouth seemed to be on their heels. They still had a few chances to level before the whistle blew, however, you just felt that Liverpool had true control of the game.

When the second half began, LIverpool, as they have showed in the past, came out guns blazing. It didn’t take them long to find the back of the net for the second occassion, with the Dutch international, Cody Gakpo, taking the credit this time, in the 49th minute.This is where things began to change in the game, and not in a good way for the Reds. Their second goal must have awoke the sleeping giant in Bournemouth, as they looked as if they were a new side. Continuously, they found themselves having great build-up and solid control, however, nobody could finish off the move. Other than of course, their star man, Antoine Semenyo – what a player he is. Through some poor Liverpool defending, he shrunk the lead to one in the 64th minute via a cross from David Brooks. Then, not even 15 minutes later, he picked up the ball in his own half and carried it all the way to his oppositions box. Van Dijk and Konate tried their best to shepherd him one way or another, but he continued to carry the ball forward, until ultimately striking it to the bottom right corner. Allisson could only watch the ball roll in, and the game was level once again.

To follow, Liverpool went into panic mode. Substitutions of Wataru Endo, Joe Gomez, Curtis Jones, and Andy Roberston had already come on, but Arne Slot had one more trick up his sleeve. The Italian who has been fighting for playing time every since his arrival to Mersey Side. Federico Chiesa entered the game in the 82nd minute, and this was his time to put on a show. Multiple chances came and went for the Reds, but it was ultimately a cross from Salah, and a jumble in the box, which left the ball on a platter for Chiesa. He volleyed it in with a certain calmness and Anfield erupted. HIs moment came in the 88th minute, and he seized it. But, the game was not over. Until the 94th minute when none other than the Egyptian King sealed it, with a rare goal coming from his right foot. The whistle came shortly after, and the Reds escaped opening day with three points.

Ultimately, there are a few takeaways from this game for Liverpool moving forward. Most importantly, Liverpool seem to have lost the control they were so famous for under Arne Slot in their title-winning charge last year. There seems to be many holes defensively, giving up four goals in just two competitive games this season. Against sides that, in all honesty, shouldn’t even be scoring once against them. Furthermore, Mohamed Salah is, and will always be, inevitable. When he seems to be having a poor match, he always finds a way. Today, he continued his rampage on the Premier League, scoring his tenth opening day goal, while simultaneously equaling Andrew Cole for the fourth most goals in Premier League history.

The season began with a shaky three points for the Reds, But at the end of the day, three points are three points. There are a lot of things to improve for Liverpool, however, with more time to gel with new teammates, and cope with the loss of their close friend and teammate, Diogo Jota, Liverpool will show once again, their prowess in the Premier League, and beyond. Happy Premier League!

1/25/25 at Anfield

The 25th of January, 2025, marks the first time I ever went to Anfield to watch Liverpool Football Club. Singing, cheering, and quite a lot of smiling would be a simple summarization.

In the reverse fixture, in the opening match of the season, Liverpool struggled at times to score. However, they eventually found the back of the net twice. This time around, the Reds smothered the newly promoted side, holding on for dear life for top flight football. The score ended four to one, and the addition of three points in the tally for Liverpool.

Arne Slot’s side began with a front three of Díaz, Gakpo, and Salah. In the middle, Szoboszlai was the ten, with Mac Allister and Gravenberch running the pivot. In defense, Robertson and Alexander-Arnold played as fullbacks, and Van Dijk and Konaté played as center-backs. Finally, the Brazillian, Allisson Becker, stood between the posts.

For Ipswich Town, they began with a forward trio of Liam Delap, Jaden Philogene, and Wes Burns. Their midfield three consisted of Omari Hutchinson, Manchester City loanee, Kalvin Phillips, and Sam Morsy. In the back, Leif Davis and Axel Tuanzebe. And as for the center-back pairing, Jacob Greaves and Dara O’shea stepped in. Lastly, Christian Walton stood in goal.

The game immediately started with Liverpool controlling everything, and they never seemed to lose their grip. Szoboszlai struck first for the Reds, following a very nice through ball from Konaté. He carried the ball from 25 yards out to the 18, and slotted it into the bottom right corner with his weak foot. The keeper had a touch, but the ball was driven too hard, and too low for it to matter. 11 minutes in, and it was only getting started for the Reds. Ipswich would have small spouts of possession, but nothing seemed to accumulate. They did everything in their power to feed Liam Delap, but the young striker was constantly overrun by Van Dijk and Konaté.

They were able to hold on longer than the first, but eventually, something had to give way for Ipswich. It was only a matter of time until Salah and his bow-and-arrow celebration made an appearance. From the left wing, Gakpo played a curler through to the back post. Salah then took a neat touch, and hammered it into the net from close range. Walton had absolutely no chance with that one.

Again and again, Liverpool kept on coming. And their third came shortly after, from none other than the man who provided the previous assist. The Dutch winger had been in a great run of form, and it was only continuing. Ryan Gravenberch played a low cross from the right wing, and Szoboszlai flicked it on to the bottom left corner. Walton, who had been having a busy game, made a great save. But, it spilled right towards the penalty spot, where Gakpo had no trouble tapping it in. The score was now three to zero on the stroke of halftime.

In the second half, Ipswich was much more defensively sound. That was what they seemed to be doing at all times, as they could not keep hold of the ball. And again you can only do so much against the league leaders. The man of the hour, Cody Gakpo, made his mark yet again, this time, coming off a cross from Alexander-Arnold. It was the 65th minute, and it was now four to zero, marking three goal contributions for Gakpo.

The rest of the game saw Liverpool take their foot off the gas ever so slightly. They made many attack-minded substitutions, leaving them a bit more open in the back. The only defensive-minded sub being Wataru Endo, put in a shift, however, there’s only so much ground he can cover. This led to a last-minute goal by Ipswich in the 90th minutefrom Jacob Greaves. The final score of the game being, four to one.

Ultimately, I couldn’t have asked for a better first time at Anfield. Liverpool took care of business en route to their potential 20th title, and I was there to witness it. The atmosphere confirmed all the tales of Anfield, and their famous song to begin the match was nothing short of beautiful.

Up the Reds!

12/22/24 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Liverpool’s lead at the top of the table grows once again following a six to three thumping of Spurs in London this weekend. Now, the Reds sit four points ahead of Chelsea, after their draw at Everton.

A goal fest was to be expected, but nine definitely was not on everyone’s minds. To start the game, Tottenham seemed uneasy, whereas Liverpool moved like a well oiled machine. Ever since Arne Slot took the helm, Liverpool have exuded confidence, with a control that they never really saw under Jurgen Klopp. But that’s not to say they completely forgot about his way of playing. The Reds seem to reference Klopp’s blitzkrieg style of play, making them quite dangerous, as the point tally suggests. And Spurs were no exception.

In the 23rd minute, Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped in a cross from no-mans land, perfectly finding the forehead of Luis Diaz, thus finding the back of the net. Spurs were left completely shocked, as with even the perfect defensive shape, that ball still found it’s way into the right place. Long story short, you had to be there to see it, because it was an absolutely world class play.

Following the opener, thing started to look even worse for Spurs. The Reds were picking them apart through the midfield, and pressing like absolute maniacs when they rarely lost possession. Each player in red knew exactly where everyone was, and each other seemed to be making the right decision with every touch on the ball.

This would eventually lead to Liverpool doubling their lead with a rebounded header from Alexis Mac Allister in the 26th minute. Things could not have started better for the Reds. But, despite their struggles, Tottenham are still a team with a lot of talent, meaning they could turn it around at any moment. And that they did. After a tackle from Dejan Kulusevski on Mac Allister on the edge of Liverpool’s box, James Maddison scooped up the ball and finished it brilliantly past the Brazilian Becker. The Liverpool captain pleaded for a foul, but the referee had none of it. Liverpool’s lead was back down to one with the half time whistle minutes away.

But again, just as the Spurs could turn things around at any moment, so could the Reds. Spurs pressed them hard back in their half, trying to force a mistake and hop on the counter, which led to Alexander-Arnold sending a prayer downfield. A prayer that was answered in kind. Domink Szoboszlai was able to flick it on for Mohamed Salah, who then fed it right back to him for a cheeky finish between Fraser Foster’s legs. The Hungarian made it three to one, and with that came half time, and likely some screaming from Ange Postecoglu in the changing room.

When the whistle brought the second half back, Liverpool looked like they hadn’t missed a beat. As for Spurs, it looked as if they were managing to disregard any last hope they had at coming back in the game. With numerous chances coming for the Reds, one was bound to fall soon. And with someone like Mohamed Salah on your team, ‘soon’ is not a very long time at all. In the 54th minute, Salah put away one of the easier goals of his career, rebounding the ball after solid attempts from Gakpo and Szoboszlai were denied.

And don’t forget about these three for long, as they all contributed towards Liverpool’s fifth goal as well. After a brilliant pass from Gakpo centrally, and a brilliant touch and pass from Szoboszlai, Salah slotted away yet another brilliant Liverpool goal. Everything was brilliant, and Spurs were in shambles.

Liverpool’s dominance continued for another 20 minutes or so, until poor defending came about yet again. This time however, it came from the Reds. Possibly the only bright spot for Spurs that night, Dejan Kulusevski smashed in a volley following a flick from Tottenham’s striker, and former Liverpool man, Dominic Solanke. And about ten minutes later, he got a goal of his own following a poor defensive effort from Liverpool Left Back, Andy Robertson.

The score was now five to three, which didn’t fully tell the story of the game. Liverpool’s lapse in defense kept Tottenham fans from calling it an early night, which given this rollercoaster of a game, could very well change soon.

For the last seven minutes plus injury time, Liverpool seemed to have no intention of letting their lead shrink any more. And not even two minutes after Tottenham’s third goal, Liverpool found their sixth, coming from Luis Diaz, and of course, assisted by Mohamed Salah. The slim chances at a comeback for Spurs were now truly written off, securing their position in the bottom half of the Premier League table as we approach Boxing Day. This being the first time it has happened for them in 16 years. Not the greatest look for Ange’s team.

Ultimately, this riveting game told us two opposing stories. One about a club exceeding all expectations and then some, with a new manager, new staff, and the pressure of expiring contracts. On the other hand, this game showed us a club that might have to reshape the very way they play the game, as whatever is filling up their tactics sheet this season, clearly isn’t doing the job.