Liverpool Manager Arne Slot: Bournemouth Faced A Team That Never Gave Up

Arne Slot: Bournemouth Faced a Team That Never Gave Up

Liverpool manager Arne Slot praised the resilience on display from both sides as the Reds began their Premier League title defence with a dramatic 4-2 victory over Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday.

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The night carried a deep emotional weight, with tributes to Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva as well as a first-half incident involving racist abuse aimed at Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo.

Slot was full of praise for Bournemouth’s tenacity. “It was a great game to watch. This is what makes football so great, all three parties involved wanted a good game, from us, Bournemouth and the referee.

“High tempo, no stoppages or time wasting. Well done to them, they went 2-0 down and kept on fighting, and so did we when they came back,” he said.

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He highlighted how fitness and perseverance defined the match. “In every running stat they were very high last season, and you could see again how fit this team was and they never gave up.

“For the goals our rest defence was in place but the pace they had and the tempo they kept up they got past, but they faced that too. Bournemouth faced a team that never gave up. We lost many players during the summer but we did not lose our mentality.”

On Liverpool’s response after Bournemouth’s equaliser, Slot noted, “Normally at 2-2 everyone knows which player I look to at that moment in time.

 “I would have loved to bring in Diogo Jota, but I could not for terrible reasons. But tonight the fans and the players did what he did for us many times in the past.”

Slot also addressed the incident involving Semenyo, emphasising the Merseyside club’s position on racism: “The club made a clear statement. We don't want this in football, we don't want this happening in stadiums, especially not at Anfield.

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“We should talk about this for a long time because we do not want this at Anfield. It takes the shine off it a bit because our fans were amazing, especially with the tributes to Diogo,” he added.