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Let’s not forget Bournemouth have won just once since October and haven’t beaten Liverpool since 2023. It’ll take some mental fortitude to resist Liverpool for the whole of the second half but, then again, Arne Slot’s team have looked very vulnerable at the back.
Half-time: Bournemouth 2-1 Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk’s header rescued something for Liverpool out of that first half. Goals from Evanilson – while Liverpool were playing with 10 men with Joe Gomez off injured – and Álex Jiménez had given Bournemouth a pretty convincing lead.
45+4 min: Salah’s free-kick is headed away at the near post by Truffert.
45+3 min: Liverpool win a free-kick on the right of the penalty area after Adli trips Frimpong. Kroupi goes into the book for wellying the ball up the other end of the pitch after the whistle went.
45+2 min: Wirtz tries to find Gakpo in the area but Bournemouth cut it out. One minute of added time remains.
GOAL! Bournemouth 2-1 Liverpool (Van Dijk 45)
Liverpool are back in it! One Salah corner is poor and flicked out for another. Szoboszlai takes this one from the other side and Van Dijk glances it past Petrovic at the near post. What a lift that will be.
44 min: Good chance for Salah. Gakpo lifts a ball towards the winger at the back post but his volley is weak and easily held by Petrovic. That’s Liverpool’s first shot on target.
43 min: Endo slides in to try to stop a Bournemouth breakaway on halfway but Adli scampers away with the ball. His cross into the box is into a good area but safely gathered by Alisson.
42 min: Liverpool want a penalty as Gakpo runs into Hill in the area but they won’t get anything for that. Wirtz gives a foul away straight after, only giving the home supporters another reason to cheer sarcastically.
40 min: Just wide from Wirtz! He comes inside off the right and aims for the far bottom corner with his right foot but it flies just wide of the post.
39 min: A slightly jaded Liverpool try to respond. Wirtz tries to lay a pass back for Gravenberch on the edge of the box but there are plenty of Bournemouth players in the way. Jiménez, moving a bit better now, manages to stop Kerkez sending a cross into the box.
Evanilson drives at the Liverpool box but slips over the ball just as he entered shooting range.
37 min: Bournemouth are now effectively playing with 10 with Jiménez carrying a problem. Adli’s dangerous cross finds no one at the far post, where Jiménez would have been. Smith is doing two men’s work down the right.
Liverpool were still playing with 10 men when the goal happened. Endo has now replaced Gomez. Alisson was frustrated that the referee didn’t stop play to allow the substitution to happen.
A VAR check for offside comes to a quick conclusion that Jiménez was played onside by Van Dijk as the ball was played through.
GOAL! Bournemouth 2-0 Liverpool (Jiménez 33)
It’s two! Hill is allowed to run into acres of space in the Liverpool half and slides a ball in behind Kerkez into Jiménez’s path and the Spaniard shoots low through Alisson’s legs.
32 min: Mac Allister tries to inject some life into an aimless spell of Liverpool possession. It’s worked out wide to Gakpo, who cuts inside and shoots low into a bunch of bodies.
30 min: Bournemouth come forward against the 10 men. Senesi tries to find Kroupi in the box but Van Dijk heads away. Wataru Endo is stripped and ready to replace Gomez.
Gomez and Alisson smashed into each other as Evanilson tucked the ball into the net. The defender has come off worse and is off the pitch for the moment.
GOAL! Bournemouth 1-0 Liverpool (Evanilson 26)
Bournemouth lead, almost out of nothing! Senesi launches a straight ball into the Liverpool box, Scott hooks it back into the middle from the byline and Evanilson beats Gomez and Alisson to it to sweep it home.
24 min: Evanilson tries to lead a one-man attack for Bournemouth and is eventually joined by Adli, but he gives it away. Liverpool go up the other end to win another corner … Salah sends it to the back post once more and it’s cleared.
22 min: Neither of those Liverpool corners was particularly good. The camera pans to their new set-piece guru in the dugout, Lewis Mahoney, who wears a poker face.
20 min: Bournemouth are just growing into this a bit but Wirtz looks a real threat for Liverpool. He wins a corner which Salah floats to the back post again. To much grumbling, Liverpool are given another corner after it bounced behind off Adli. Szoboszlai’s delivery is taken in by Petrovic.
18 min: Bournemouth win a corner, which Cook lifts towards the back post but it evades everyone and bounces away from danger. Hill then tries something speculative with a shot on the turn but it floats harmlessly over.
16 min: Smith stops Salah having a one-on-one with Petrovic after Liverpool launch a counter from an attacking Bournemouth free-kick.
14 min: A mildly hostile reception for Kerkez as he wins a free-kick after Jiménez gives him a small shove in the back. Wirtz glides into a pocket of space on the edge of the box and tries to slide a pass into Salah but it’s cleared for a corner. Salah’s corner goes the way of 176 of Liverpool’s 177 previous corners this season: without a goal.
Salah and Gakpo combine in the area before Wirtz has the chance to cut the ball back inside the six-yard box but Smith gets in the way.
12 min: Szoboszlai finds Salah in behind with the outside of his foot but the Egyptian’s pass across goal is cut out before it can reach Gakpo waiting in the middle. Salah had more time and space than he realised there – if he was feeling selfish he would’ve gone for goal himself.
10 min: Salah once again has to get on his bike to catch a Mac Allister ball in behind that skips along quickly on the wet surface and eventually rolls out for a goal-kick. Bournemouth have only managed to make one or two forays into the final third.
8 min: Liverpool only really look dangerous going down their right, with Frimpong and Salah being supported by Wirtz and Szoboszlai on occasion. Kerkez is yet to get the ball on the left, so no boos have come his way.
6 min: Salah has the first attempt at goal, playing a one-two with Wirtz inside the box and curling high and wide of the far post.
4 min: Bournemouth get on the ball in their own half before Petrovic pings a low ball to no one on halfway. Liverpool start to move the ball around on the edge of the Bournemouth box.
2 min: Gomez goes long down the line to Salah, who scampers after it but hooks his right-footed cross into the fans behind the goal.
Kick-off
Liverpool get things going in their off-white away kit. The weather is miserable.
Adam Smith and Virgil van Dijk lead their teams out into the rain at the Vitality Stadium. This should be fast-paced on a wet surface. Kick-off is upon us.
Almost by stealth, Liverpool have put an unbeaten run together of 13 games. The 4-1 humbling by PSV was their last defeat in any competition.
Liverpool’s unbeaten run:
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Games: 13
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Wins: 7
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Draws: 6
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Goals scored per game: 1.77
Next five:
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Bournemouth (a)
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Qarabag (h)
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Newcastle (h)
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Manchester City (h)
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Sunderland (a)
There’s been plenty of late drama in the Premier League so far today. These are all full-time results:
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West Ham 3-1 Sunderland
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Burnley 2-2 Tottenham
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Fulham 2-1 Brighton
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Manchester City 2-0 Wolves
Nobody has scored more goals against Bournemouth in Premier League history than Mohamed Salah. He’s got 12 in 12 games against them, including two last season in Liverpool’s 2-0 win at the Vitality. The mood was a little different this time last year.
And he got the fourth in that thrilling 4-2 win at Anfield on the opening night of this season after Federico Chiesa, who misses today’s game through injury, scored late on.
Bournemouth could hand a debut to the Hungary midfielder Alex Toth, who is on the bench after joining from Ferencvaros for £10.4m. this week.
You can track the latest transfer deals across Europe on our interactive page:
It is the same Liverpool back four that started against Marseille in midweek. Ibrahima Konaté remains on compassionate leave after the death of his father, so Virgil van Dijk is partnered by Joe Gomez again.
Jeremie Frimpong continues at right-back with Conor Bradley out long-term and Milos Kerkez starts ahead of Andy Robertson on his return to his former club.
Team news: Salah starts, Robertson on bench
Marcus Tavernier misses out for Bournemouth after he picked up a hamstring injury against Brighton on Monday. Adam Smith comes into the XI at right-back, with Álex Jiménez moving further forward.
Bournemouth (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Senesi, Truffert; Scott, Cook; Jiménez, Kroupi, Adli; Evanilson.
Subs: Forster, Christie, Diakite, Unal, Toth, Milosavljevic, Sadi, Rees-Dottin, DaCosta.
Mohamed Salah makes his first Premier League appearance since returning from Afcon, while Andy Robertson is on the Liverpool bench after Tottenham opened talks to sign him this week. Cody Gakpo leads the line in place of Hugo Ekitiké.
Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Frimpong, Gomez, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Gakpo.
Subs: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Endo, Jones, Ekitiké, Robertson, Nyoni, Ramsay, Ngumoha.
Referee: Michael Salisbury (Lancashire)
Preamble
Hello and welcome. Wednesday’s trip to Marseille was a success for Liverpool. Bar one hell of a shock at home to Qarabag next week, Arne Slot’s team are on their way to the last 16 in Europe. At home, though, qualifying for next season’s Champions League is perhaps the best Liverpool can hope for. After a mini revival in December, the defending champions haven’t won a Premier League game in 2026 (four draws) and are therefore now looking over their shoulder.
Liverpool remain fourth in the table but just six points separate them and teams in the bottom half. Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle are in that pack and play tomorrow.
Bournemouth might have expected to be challenging for the European places after their fast start to the season but they’ve won just once since October and are seven points clear of the drop zone. Andoni Iraola is still getting to grips with the Antoine Semenyo-shaped hole in his team since the forward’s sale to Manchester City.
Kick-off at the Vitality Stadium is 5.30pm (GMT) and I’ll bring you team news shortly. Feel free to email in with your thoughts on the game.
