Just as they had been in the Community Shield, the champions gave up too many counter attacks and were vulnerable to crosses and cutbacks

The defending English Premier League champions look to start the new season on the right foot, as Liverpool gets set to play host to Bournemouth to kick off the 2025-26 campaign.

After watching a two-goal lead slip away to Bournemouth, Federico Chiesa restored order, scoring to give Liverpool the win in a 4-2 victory over Bournemouth on Friday to kick off the Premier League season.

A 47-year-old Liverpool fan who was last seen in a wheelchair was arrested Saturday after allegedly shouting racial slurs at Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo in a stunning scene that led to Friday’s Premier League opener in England being delayed for several minutes.

Liverpool (0-0-0) open defense of their Premier League title Friday when they take to the pitch against Bournemouth (0-0-0). The Reds finished first last season with 84 points, while Bournemouth ended 28 points behind Liverpool with 56 points in ninth.

Real Madrid star Dean Huijsen has on Saturday forwarded a message of support the way of ex-Bournemouth teammate Antoine Semenyo.This comes after the Ghanaian was subjected to racially-motivated abuse

While nobody had a more impressive campaign than Liverpool last year, Bournemouth could also feel proud of what they accomplished in 2024-25. The Cherries had their best-ever finish in the Premier League (ninth), and you could argue they deserved even better than that.

This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Marcos Senesi Was Not Guilty of Handball in Liverpool’s Clash With Bournemouth. Not even 20 minutes into the Premier League season and there’s already been a controversial moment that will surely be talked about incessantly.