Michael Owen believes that at least three Liverpool defenders were at fault for Bournemouth's winning goal against the Reds on Saturday, branding it 'rubbish'.
Jurgen Klopp's side had kept five consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League and arrived at the Vitality Stadium to face the bottom-of-the-league Cherries on the back of an incredible 7-0 hammering of Manchester United.
But there was no sign of the energy and drive that delivered that eye-catching result on the south coast and instead it was left to Bournemouth's Philip Billing to side-foot home the only goal of the game following Dango Ouattara's cross.
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Reds centre-back Virgil van Dijk had been criticised on social media for his part as the move developed, but former Ballon d'Or winner Owen felt that the Dutchman was not the only Liverpool defender at fault in a poor passage of play.
Speaking on Premier League Productions, Owen said: “Virgil van Dijk ends up going in where you think he shouldn’t, but then Konate can see the whole picture. Van Dijk has gone in with his man. I think it’s a 50-50, I think Konate tries to play offside when he can see everything in front of him and he needs to be sprinting back, as it is, Van Dijk gets back in, then Billing and Alexander-Arnold at the back post.
“Trent Alexander-Arnold ends up coming to the back post, totally losing his man, and then it’s a simple finish in the end. I think Konate can do better (preventing the cross). But Trent completely loses his man. It’s a rubbish goal to give away.”
Cody Gakpo had a first-half goal ruled out for offside and Mohamed Salah fluffed a glorious opportunity to salvage a point for Liverpool by blazing a penalty wide late on, but the Reds looked a shadow of the team that had hit Manchester United with seven strokes of the cane just a week ago.
They must now turn their attention to mission impossible in the Champions League this week, as Klopp's team looks to overturn a three-goal deficit against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu.
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