When Alexander Isak opened the scoring for Liverpool with a goal against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, the first person he reached was Federico Chiesa. The Italian international played an important role in this goal, cutting through goalkeeper Alex McCarthy's missed pass and quickly assisting Isak to score.
At the end of the second half, when Liverpool needed another decisive goal, Chiesa continued to leave his mark. He cleverly received a pass from Andrew Robertson before assisting Hugo Ekitike, who finished coolly to increase the score to the joy of The Kop. However, Ekitike was immediately given a second yellow card for taking off her celebratory shirt.
Coach Arne Slot expressed his disappointment after the match, calling Ekitike's actions "unnecessary and foolish". What he regrets most is the moment that should have belonged to the excellent playmaker.
"I'm very old, I'm 47 years old, maybe old. I have never played at this level, but I have scored a few goals in my career. And if I score like that, the first thing I do is come back, go to Federico Chiesa and say this goal is his, not mine," Slot said.
However, Chiesa will now have more opportunities to shine this season, after being added late by Liverpool to the Champions League list to replace 18-year-old defender Giovanni Leoni - who has just suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. Few in Slot's squad understand that pain more than Chiesa, because the 27-year-old striker suffered a similar injury while playing for Juventus in 2022.
Therefore, Chiesa will certainly play an important role in encouraging and supporting his compatriots to overcome the long and challenging recovery period. After a difficult first season at Anfield, his impressive performance in the Champions League could turn a turning point, lighting up his Liverpool career.
Although he was on the bench for most of last season, his diligence and professionalism helped Chiesa quickly win the hearts of Liverpool fans. They even gave him a special honor when singing Dean Martin's "Sway" in the stands.
That song became the background music for Liverpool's first win of the 2025-2026 season, when Chiesa came off the bench and made a beautiful volley late in the match, helping The Kop come back against Bournemouth.
Chiesa's impressive performance against Bournemouth made Slot admit that he saw a "completely different Chiesa" from the player he led last season.
After only 7 matches of the 2025-2026 season, the Italian striker has had a total playing time of nearly one-third compared to the whole of last season. Slot has also frequently given him a chance, having brought Chiesa up from the bench in four of his last five Premier League games.
Slot's initial decision to remove Chiesa from the Champions League list to make way for 17-year-old striker Rio Ngumoha shows that the Italian international still has a lot of work to do. However, with Isak still on the journey to regain his form, and Mohamed Salah will be missing part of the season due to returning to serve the Egyptian team, Chiesa will likely have the opportunity to show his mettle in the European arena.
