Arne Slot admitted he wished he could have called on Diogo Jota as Liverpool fought back to beat Bournemouth 4-2 in their Premier League opener at Anfield.
The Portuguese forward, who tragically passed away alongside his brother Andre Silva in a car crash in July, was known for delivering late goals on big occasions. His final strike for the Reds was a decisive winner against Everton at the Kop End last season.
Liverpool had led 2-0 on Friday night but were pegged back to 2-2 with time running out. Federico Chiesa restored the lead in the 88th minute before Mohamed Salah sealed the points deep into stoppage time.
Reflecting on the tense finale, Slot said:
“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.”
The Liverpool boss also praised his squad’s mentality after a difficult summer.
“Bournemouth faced a team that never gave up. We lost many players during the summer, but we did not lose our mentality.”
The emotion inside Anfield matched Slot’s words. Supporters sang Jota’s song long after the final whistle, with Salah joining in through tears and copying his late teammate’s celebration. Before kickoff, the Kop unveiled a tribute spelling out “DJ20” while players and staff from both clubs wore black armbands.
