“Diogo helped me from up there, pushing the ball over the line” - Liverpool star makes emotional Jota claim after scoring in win vs Bournemouth

Liverpool forward Federico Chiesa has dedicated his goal against Bournemouth to the late Diogo Jota. The Portuguese forward and his brother Andre lost their lives in a tragic accident in Spain last month.

The Reds have since retire the No. 20 jersey in Jota's honour. The Merseyside club faced the Cherries at Anfield in the Premier League on Friday, August 15.

New signing Hugo Ekitike gave Liverpool the lead in the 37th minute, before Cody Gakpo made it 2-0 in the 49th minute. However, Bournemouth got back into the game through Antoine Semenyo's brace.

With the score tied at 2-2, Arne Slot brought on Federico Chiesa in place of Florian Wirtz in the 82nd minute. The Italian scored six minutes later, and Mohamed Salah sealed the win in the fourth minute of injury time.

Speaking after the game to Sky Sports Italia, Chiesa said that he thought of Diogo Jota immediately after scoring.

“My first thought after the goal was for Diogo, his brother and their family. It was such a touching evening, so finishing the game like that was very emotional. Diogo helped me from up there, pushing the ball over the line. That’s how I want to believe it went,” said Chiesa.

Jota joined Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020 and registered 65 goals and 26 assists from 182 games.

Will Federico Chiesa leave Liverpool this summer?

Federico Chiesa has hinted that he remains settled at Liverpool amid rumours linking him with an exit. The Italian forward endured a difficult debut campaign after arriving from Juventus last summer, registering just two goals and two assists from 14 games.

Speaking after Friday's game, Chiesa suggested that he is willing to be patient at Anfield.

“I play wherever the coach puts me. I arrived here and had a lot of difficulty, because the tempo is just so different, but after a year I finally got my first Premier League goal. The coach gave me a chance and always had words of encouragement for me,” said Chiesa.

He continued:

“We will talk to Liverpool, but to be perfectly honest, I am happy here. I am playing for one of the best teams in the world. I just have to wait and be ready, as I was tonight, and prove that I can play for this team. I repeat, the coach has treated me very well in these months.”

Chiesa is under contract until 2028.

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Edited by Deepungsu Pandit