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Federico Chiesa of Liverpool(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Arsenal defender Riccardo Calafiori has explained why he chose not to initially congratulate compatriot Federico Chiesa on scoring his first Premier League goal for Liverpool.

Chiesa broke his duck in dramatic fashion by putting the Reds back ahead late on in their rollercoaster 4-2 win over Bournemouth at Anfield on Friday night.

Calafiori followed suit for Arsenal on Sunday afternoon by capitalising on a mistake from Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayindir to score the only goal in the Gunners' 1-0 win at Old Trafford.

Chiesa played alongside Calafiori for Italy during last summer's European Championships, with the pair hopeful of appearing in the World Cup together in the United States next year.

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And when asked if he had sent a message to mark Chiesa's debut Premier League strike, Calafiori said to Sky Sports Italia: “I can send it now.

“He had a tough season last year, and we never spoke, so I didn’t want to jump on the bandwagon when things are going well.

“We knew each other during the latest Euros.

We didn’t talk much, but he’s a very good guy, and I hope he can play consistently.

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"Maybe not too much, because we want to win the Premier League, but I hope to see him soon with the national team.”

The duo could come up in opposition later this month when champions Liverpool entertain last season's leading also-rans at Anfield on August 31.

Chiesa dedicated his vital strike against Bournemouth to his late team-mate Diogo Jota and brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash in July.

He said: "It is (a moment he'd been waiting for), it's a great goal and it was really emotional today.

"After I scored, my thoughts went to Diogo, to Andre and to Diogo's family who were here today.

It was really emotional.

The goal was for him.

"In my mind, Diogo was somewhere in here helping me to score this goal.

It was tough today but it was a great atmosphere, the fans were amazing throughout the game."


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