Andoni Iraola made just one change from the opening day draw with West Ham, as Bournemouth lost 3-1 to Liverpool at Anfield. Antoine Semenyo replaced David Brooks on the right wing, with the 23-year-old Ghanaian’s performance impressing his new boss.
‘He Gave Good Energy to the Team’: Antoine Semenyo Impresses Despite Anfield Defeat
Cherries High Press Pays Dividends Early On
Within the opening five minutes, Bournemouth were in dreamland as Semenyo powered his effort low to Alisson’s right hand to put the Dorset club ahead, silencing the Anfield crowd in the process.
Pressing the Reds’ defence high up the pitch, Iraola’s new style of football was on hand for all to see. Philip Billing dispossessed Trent Alexander-Arnold ten yards outside Liverpool’s box, allowing Dominic Solanke to drive forward before the ball fell to the Ghanaian international about 12 yards out.
The Cherries looked to have Jurgen Klopp’s side rattled, and as Solanke and Jaidon Anthony pressed the German’s back line again, Alisson was forced into an error. Under pressure, the Brazilian played a poor pass out and brought down Anthony as the Cherries winger latched onto the ball, with the shot-stopper earning himself a yellow card in the process.
However, as the Merseysiders grew into the game, and pushed Iraola’s side back, goals from Luis Diaz and Mo Salah saw the Cherries go behind at the break.
Despite Alexis Mac Allister seeing red just before the hour mark, Diogo Jota grabbed a third for the home side and Bournemouth were unable to respond, returning to the South Coast with nothing for their early efforts.
There were some positives for the Dorset club though, with Semenyo’s performance in particular standing out.
‘Antoine Was Very Good’ – Iraola
Having joined the Cherries from Bristol City in January, Semenyo made just two starts before Saturday’s trip to Anfield. Gary O’Neil had chosen to use the winger sparingly, playing 251 minutes across 11 appearances, before an injury stopped his season short as the Cherries finished 15th.
However, since returning from injury, the winger has impressed in his two appearances to date. First, as a second-half substitute against West Ham, where he played an important part in Solanke’s 82nd-minute equaliser, and again as he opened the scoring at Anfield.
In his first start of the season, the winger registered three shots on goal with two on target, the most of any Bournemouth player and, of course, found the back of the net after just three minutes. He also had the joint highest amount of progressive carries from any Bournemouth player with two, carrying the ball a total of 69 yards towards goal, more than of any of the side’s front four.
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Andoni is full of praise for @AntoineSemenyo1 🙌 pic.twitter.com/86HJJtGPng
— AFC Bournemouth 🍒 (@afcbournemouth) August 19, 2023
The 23-year-old’s performances have not gone unnoticed by his new boss either, with his contributions so far this season finding praise from Iraola as the Spaniard spoke to afcb.tv after the defeat to Liverpool.
“Antoine was very good this past week,” the Spaniard said.
“The minutes he played, I think he gave good energy to the team. Today he pushed a lot, he finished really very, very tired.”
The 41-year-old coach is trying to implement a new style at Vitality Stadium since arriving from Rayo Vallecano, which requires a lot of hard work from the forward line who are expected to press from the front, and Iraola believes Semenyo is fulfilling that role.
He added: “I think this is what we expect from our wingers and our forward players, to give everything they have.”
Next up Bournemouth face Tottenham as the North London club visit the Vitality Stadium on Saturday, August 26, for the lunchtime kick-off.
