Liverpool FC has lost in the Premier League again after two months. In the 2-3 defeat in Bournemouth, the Reds came back from a 0-2 deficit, but it was a former teammate of Florian Wirtz who had the last word.
Despite the short break after the 3-0 win against Olympique Marseille in the Champions League, LFC coach Arne Slot decided to make only one change to his starting lineup, with Gakpo replacing Ekitiké in attack. The game in Bournemouth was probably too important for the coach after four consecutive league draws. Liverpool played offensively from the start and repeatedly got behind the Cherries’ rather loose defense. But then they lacked precision or the right decision. Liverpool couldn’t manage more than a curling shot from Salah (6th minute) in the early stages.
Instead, the underdogs, who had won only one of their last 13 league games, took advantage of their first chance out of nowhere: after a long ball into the box, van Dijk defended far too carelessly against Scott, who scraped the ball from the baseline to Evanlison. The Brazilian center forward finished ruthlessly from five meters out, giving LFC a cold shower in the persistent rain in southern England (26th minute). It was doubly bitter for Liverpool: Gomez collided with Alisson in the action and injured himself, requiring treatment and ultimately being substituted.
Bournemouth capitalizes on brief numerical advantage – Van Dijk makes up for mistake
Bournemouth mercilessly exploited the brief numerical advantage: Hill was able to stroll unchallenged through midfield and played a perfect through ball to Jimenez, who slotted it past Alisson – a double blow for the underdogs (33′). Liverpool’s confidence from the early stages was noticeably dented, with the Reds losing possession more and more. They were hardly able to combine in the penalty area, so Wirtz had to shoot from distance to register another LFC shot (40′). In this difficult phase, a set piece helped the reigning champions: Van Dijk extended a Szoboszlai corner with his shoulder into the far corner (45′).
In the second half, Bournemouth sat much deeper, and Liverpool now had overwhelming possession – but few ideas on how to break down the Cherries’ deep block. The Reds won a series of corners, but none of them were as dangerous as the one that led to the equalizer. Until the final stages, a long-range shot from Gravenberch (67′) remained the only noteworthy moment.
Pure scramble: Adli has the last word
In the end, it took another set piece for Liverpool to equalize: Szoboszlai took a free kick from a perfect position—a free kick almost like a penalty for the Hungarian, who shot the ball into the corner of the goal after a pass from Salah. Petrovic had briefly turned in the wrong direction and had no chance (80′). The goal was the prelude to an open final phase with good chances for both sides: Evanilson almost restored Bournemouth’s lead (84′), but Petrovic made an outstanding save against Wirtz (85′) in the immediate counterattack.
However, it was Wirtz’s former teammate Adli who had the last word: the added time had already expired when the former Leverkusen player somehow poked the ball over the line after a long throw-in from Hill (90+5). For Liverpool, it is their first defeat since November and, after four consecutive draws, another setback in the race for Champions League places. On Sunday, Manchester United and Chelsea could overtake the Reds.