Liverpool Humbled By Bournemouth
Bournemouth 1-0 Liverpool
Liverpool were brought back down to earth by Bournemouth in Saturday's early Premier League game.
The Reds had been expected to overpower the Cherries, having beaten them 9-0 at Anfield earlier this season.
Confidence was also high due to Liverpool's 7-0 win over Manchester United last weekend.
But Bournemouth defied the form book and the EPL table to beat Jurgen Klopp's side 1-0 thanks to Philip Billing's sixth EPL goal of the season.
Liverpool had a golden chance to equalize in the 70th minute but Mo Salah missed the target from a penalty kick.
Bournemouth had started the day bottom of the table but their surprise victory saw them exit the relegation zone and rise to 16th.
Philip Billing pictured (right) scoring for Bournemouth against Liverpool
IMAGO/Propaganda Photo/David Rawcliffe
Liverpool pinned Bournemouth back inside their own half for much of the game but looked very vulnerable against the counter-attack.
Virgil van Dijk almost headed the away side in front early on but was denied by a fine goal-line clearance from Jefferson Lerma.
Dango Ouattara twice warned Liverpool while the game was 0-0.
Ouattara first breached Liverpool's wonky offside trap in the 10th minute before dribbling around Alisson only to shoot into the side netting.
The 21-year-old wasted another big chance moments later when he broke clean through but hesitated and allowed Van Dijk to get back and tackle him.
But Ouattara got the better of Van Dijk in the build-up to the game's only goal, which arrived in the 28th minute.
Ouattara dribbled past the Dutch defender with apparent ease before firing in a low cross that evaded Ibrahima Konate before being tapped home by Billing.
Bournemouth's goal appeared to dent Liverpool's confidence but the Reds looked almost certain to draw level midway through the second half when a VAR review resulted in a penalty kick for an Adam Smith handball.
Smith's outstretched arm had blocked a header from Liverpool substitute Diogo Jota.
Replays showed that Jota's effort had been on target. Unfortunately for the Reds, Salah's was not.
