Where to start with this intoxicating Premier League white-knuckle ride? As second-half stoppage time ticked into a fifth minute, the Bournemouth defender James Hill hurled one last long throw into the box and, after Ryan Gravenberch inadvertently poked the ball against a post in a desperate attempt to clear and with Alisson slipping and sliding on the sodden surface, Amine Adli wellied in a winner from an acute angle with virtually the last kick to condemn Liverpool to defeat.
Fifteen minutes earlier Dominik Szoboszlai cannoned in a stunning free-kick to haul Arne Slot’s side level from two goals down. Where would Liverpool be this season without the Hungary midfielder? Slot clenched both fists and gave his assistant Giovanni van Bronckhorst a high 10, but it was Andoni Iraola, beaming from ear to ear, who departed the pitch high-fiving his staff, only a second win since October secured. “It is probably the best goal to score … 10 seconds before I asked the fourth official [how long was left] and he told me the game would be over after the throw.”
When Hill launched one final missile in from the right flank, almost in line with Liverpool’s 18-yard box, Adli flicked on and then Marcos Senesi made himself a nuisance. Wataru Endo and Gravenberch ended up on the turf, shuffling their feet like pincers to intervene, but could not prevent a first loss since November and one that extended their winless league run to five matches. If results go against Liverpool on Sunday, Slot’s side could finish the weekend as low as eighth.
For Liverpool, this was another sobering experience. Virgil van Dijk made amends for presenting Bournemouth the lead and Milos Kerkez, who was exposed when Álex Jiménez doubled the hosts’ lead and struggled on his return to the south coast, was hooked at the interval. On this evidence Liverpool would be naive to allow Andy Robertson to depart for Tottenham. Mohamed Salah was anonymous, his greatest contribution backheeling the free-kick to Szoboszlai for his goal.
Bournemouth seized the lead when Van Dijk failed to deal with the commanding Senesi flipping a routine ball over the top of the Liverpool defence. Van Dijk was too casual, flicking a boot in search of control, but the Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott stayed alive and side-footed the ball in from the byline for Evanilson to blast home from inside the six-yard box on 26 minutes. Joe Gomez was collateral damage, hobbling off after colliding with Alisson as the ball rippled the Liverpool net.
Slot, hands rooted in pockets, paced the away technical area as the minutes ticked by, all the while Liverpool continued with 10 men, Gravenberch moonlighting as a centre-back. It was the 35th minute by the time Endo, whose warm-up lasted for an eternity, arrived and by that point Liverpool trailed by two goals. Hill, enjoying a breakthrough season after joining from Fleetwood Town amid interest from Barcelona four years ago, slipped the ball behind Kerkez and Jiménez, close to joining on a permanent deal from Milan, read the pass. The full-back, who operated as a right winger here, drilled the ball through the legs of Alisson. “That maybe sums up our season,” a deflated Slot said afterwards. “I tried to scream towards them [our players] to put the ball out of play … the way we conceded that goal was not specifically because we were down to 10, just a winger surprising our full-back.”
Eventually Endo entered to partner Van Dijk in the centre of Liverpool’s defence. It is fair to say he arrived into a battle, Bournemouth biting into challenges and attacking with gusto. With half-time looming, Florian Wirtz whistled a shot wide and Salah, potentially offside, fluffed a volley. But just as a lively encounter veered into first-half stoppage time Van Dijk in part redeemed himself. Szoboszlai’s corner flew towards the front post where the Liverpool captain glanced in to halve the deficit. Slot clenched his right fist in celebration, his half-time team talk now that bit easier.
Slot turned to Robertson at the break but it was another substitute, the 17-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha, who was the catalyst for Liverpool’s equaliser. Ngumoha replaced Cody Gakpo and quickly got to work. The teenager drove infield and Jiménez got too hands on, the referee, Michael Salisbury, awarding a free-kick a little more than 20 yards from goal. What happened next was majestic, Salah laying the ball on for Szoboszlai to dispatch an unstoppable, thumping right-foot strike into the far corner.
Bournemouth responded immediately. Ryan Christie, introduced midway through the second half, forced Alisson into a fingertip save inside 27 seconds of the restart and then Evanilson, threaded through on goal by Christie, poked an effort the wrong side of a post. Up the other end, Djordje Petrovic made a big save too, getting a right glove to a low, diagonal Wirtz strike, though the referee mistakenly awarded a Bournemouth goal-kick. The hosts were not content with a point and spied an opportunity when awarded a late throw-in, Adli sourcing a winner amid the scramble.
