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(Credit: Sky Sports)

Oliver Walton

Fri 15 August 2025 22:48, UK

Jamie Carragher was left red-faced after he questioned Liverpool boss Arne Slot’s decision to bring Federico Chiesa on for Florian Wirtz against Bournemouth before the Italian winger went on to score the decisive goal.

Liverpool played out a thriller against the Cherries on the opening day of the new Premier League campaign on Friday (15 August) as they ran out 4-2 winners at Anfield.

Hugo Ekitike gave the hosts the lead in the first-half on his league debut, and Cody Gakpo quickly doubled Liverpool’s lead after the interval with a fine finish past Djordje Petrovic.

Credit: Hasan Karim, Breaking Media

Bournemouth did not go down without a fight, however, as Antoine Semenyo grabbed a goal back soon after and then fired another home in the 76th minute to quickly level the score at 2-2.

The Reds’ record signing Wirtz was taken off for Chiesa by Slot six minutes later as Liverpool searched for a winner in the dying embers of the clash, and the Italian forward had the last laugh after Carragher doubted the call to bring him on.

Chiesa has had a tough time on Merseyside since he joined the club last summer, and Carragher questioned Slot’s decision to take Wirtz off for the 27-year-old in the 82nd minute (9:41, Sky Sports), saying: “I think that’s a strange substitution, that, very strange.”

The Italian winger soon left the Liverpool hero embarrassed just six minutes later as he pounced on Ben Winterburn’s poor headed clearance to fire home past Petrovic and send Anfield wild, making it 3-2 with just two minutes of normal time left to play before Mo Salah added a fourth in added-time.

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Carragher will certainly not have expected the Italian attacker to step up in such a dramatic manner late on, especially considering that the strike against the Cherries was his first in the Premier League for Liverpool after his tough debut campaign.

His comment was likely more aimed at Slot taking Wirtz off on his league debut for the club after such a high-profile summer move, but it clearly proved to be the right switch, and also highlighted why the Dutchman is the one at the helm at Anfield, and not Carragher.

Chiesa’s future has been up in the air this summer after his tough first season on Merseyside, yet this feels like a new dawn for him in a red shirt after he scored such a huge goal so early in the new campaign.

Slot’s side were on course for a surprising draw after they had been comfortably in the lead on the hour mark but then pegged back twice by two brilliant strikes by Semenyo, and Chiesa was the one to clutch a victory late on when his teammates struggled to make an impact.

AppearancesGoalsAssists1532Chiesa’s Liverpool career stats

Former Man United scout Mick Brown revealed to Football Insider in June that Liverpool were planning to accept offers for Chiesa amid question marks around his future, but that could have changed after such a moment.

The 27-year-old will feel massively rejuvenated after such a huge goal at a vital time, and Slot will surely see him as an integral part of this season going forward as the Reds aim to seal another Premier League title.

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