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Bournemouth 1-0 Liverpool: Match report, player ratings, expert analysis, fan reaction and more

All the action and reaction from the Vitality Stadium

Bottom of the Premier League Bournemouth pulled off a massive shock as they lifted themselves out of the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over in-form Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium.

Jurgen Klopp’s side flew out of the blocks, looking to pick up where they left off against Manchester United last Sunday. Mo Salah fired tamely at Neto, before Cody Gakpo found the back of the net only to be ruled offside and a Jefferson Lerma goalline clearance keeping his side in it.

The Cherries looked threatening on the break, however, with Dango Outtara twice being through on goal only to fire wide and be denied by Virgil van Dijk.

And it was 21-year-old Outtara that provided the spark for the hosts to take the lead, with the winger running in behind the Liverpool defence before pulling the ball back to Phillip Billing, who fired past Alisson to hand Bournemouth a shock lead.

Liverpool continued to look a shadow of the side that blew away the Red Devils six days ago, but were handed a golden chance to level the scores when Adam Smith handled the ball in the box.

Mo Salah, normally so reliable from the spot however, blazed well wide, much to the delight of the Bournemouth fans behind the goal.

Player Ratings

Bournemouth

  • GK: Neto (7) – Had one save to make from Jota, but was largely untested.
  • RB: Adam Smith (6) – Kept Nunez really quiet but struggled more against Jota and was responsible for giving away a penalty in the second half that he was fortunate Salah missed.
  • CB: Marcos Senesi (8) – Showed some nice footwork in the Liverpool box to create a chance and was exceptional in the heart of the Cherries defence.
  • CB: Jack Stephens (7) – A strong performance in the heart of defence from Stephens to help keep Liverpool out.
  • LB: Llyod Kelly (7) – Kept Mohamed Salah virtually anonymous and forced Jurgen Klopp to remove Trent Alexander-Arnold. Excellent.
  • RM: Dango Ouattara (9) – Liverpool found him virtually unplayable in the first half and he continued to threaten in behind with his pace in the second half. Helped out plenty defensively too.
  • CM: Jefferson Lerma (7) – Made one vital goalline clearance in the first half to set the tone for the tie.
  • CM: Phillip Billing (8) – Scored for the second week in a row and played the box-to-box role really well to help his attackers.
  • CM: Joe Rothwell (7) – Was excellent in nullifying the Liverpool midfield and got through plenty of work.
  • LM: Jaidon Antony (7) – Tidy and threatening on the opposite flank to Ouattara and showed some nice touches.
  • ST: Dominic Solanke (7) – Held the ball up well and did his part well defensively too.

Substitutes

  • Ryan Christie (7) – Held the ball up well and looked a threat on the break.
  • Ryan Fredericks (6) – Didn’t put a foot wrong when coming on.
  • Lewis Cook
  • Antoine Semeneyo (N/A) – On for the final five minutes.
  • Matias Vina (N/A) – On for the final five minutes.

Liverpool

  • GK: Alisson (6) – Had very little to do apart from pick the ball out of his own net.
  • RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold (5) – Another poor game from the Englishman who struggled to cope with the Bournemouth breaks and could offer nothing in attack.
  • CB: Ibrahim Konate (5) – Played Outtara onside for the opening goal but was otherwise the most solid of Liverpool’s defence.
  • CB: Virgil van Dijk (4) – Was all at sea in the first half defensively but dealt with a second half counter attack really well.
  • LB: Andy Robertson (5) – Really struggled against Ouattara but looked effective going forwards and from set pieces.
  • CM: Stefan Bajcetic (5) – After a bright start to life in a Liverpool shirt, this was one of his least effective performances at the club to date.
  • CM: Fabinho (5) – A shadow of his former self this season, he continues to flatter to deceive for Jurgen Klopp’s side and it was he, not Bajcetic, that was taken off on the hour.
  • CM: Harvey Elliot (5) – Looked lightweight in midfield and couldn’t stop Bournemouth from breaking through. Hooked at the break.
  • RW: Mohamed Salah (4) – Had a really quiet game and, when handed a golden opportunity to level the game, blazed his penalty horribly wide.
  • ST: Cody Gakpo (5) – Struggled to have any impact on the game.
  • LW: Darwin Nunez (5) – Showed flashes in the first half but couldn’t really get into the game

Substitutes

  • Diogo Jota (7) – Added some much needed impetus to Liverpool’s attacks, and forced a good save from Neto.
  • James Milner (6) – Solid when he came on.
  • Jordan Henderson (6) – Helped bring some poise to midfield but consistently threatened to be beaten on the counter attack.
  • Roberto Firmino (6) – Tidy but couldn’t create anything.
  • Fabio Carvalho (N/A) – On for the final five minutes.

Expert analysis

Fan Reaction

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Ben Browning

Football writer and analyst. Long-time writer of all things Arsenal and avid watcher of European football. Happy to discuss all things football over on Twitter.
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