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Adli’s stoppage-time winner ends Liverpool’s unbeaten run in thriller
Going into the match at Bournemouth, Liverpool‘s unbeaten streak stood as the longest among teams in Europe’s top five leagues.
Hardly indicative of a team in disarray.
However, as Amine Adli celebrated his 95th-minute winner for Bournemouth, the underlying issues plaguing Liverpool, previously masked by their 13-game unbeaten run, were starkly exposed.
The reigning champions are now without a victory in their last five Premier League outings, having recorded four draws and a defeat.
Aside from the draw against Arsenal, the other four matches were against Leeds, Burnley, Fulham, and now Bournemouth.
This is a Liverpool side that no longer commands the same fear, having lost the aura of invincibility they possessed during their title-winning campaign. Against Bournemouth, their defending appeared erratic, and their attacking play lacked innovation.
“From Bournemouth‘s perspective, they likely assessed Liverpool and questioned ‘why can’t we defeat them?’ Arne Slot’s squad appears to be a shadow of the team we witnessed last season,” commented Alan Shearer, a pundit on Saturday’s Match of the Day.
“Liverpool are simply not performing at their best across the board. They are committing an excessive number of errors and exhibiting defensive frailties, as evidenced by the winning goal. While they managed to score twice from set-pieces, their open play lacked creativity.”
Bournemouth have appeared vulnerable this season.
Andoni Iraola’s team has been severely hampered by injuries and the departure of Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City. The Cherries entered this match with only one win in their previous 14 games, yet they ruthlessly exploited Liverpool‘s weaknesses.
Virgil van Dijk’s error leading to Evanilson’s opening goal was entirely preventable, even if Slot attributed it partly to the windy conditions.
Furthermore, Liverpool‘s decision not to play the ball out of bounds before Alex Jimenez’s second goal, in order to substitute the injured Joe Gomez and avoid playing with ten men, was perplexing.
Slot and his assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, were instructing the players to put the ball out of play to facilitate Wataru Endo’s introduction. Their failure to do so proved costly, and from that moment on, Liverpool faced an uphill battle.
“I attempted to signal to my players to put the ball out of play, but we were actually quite comfortable, maintaining possession for a considerable period. However, when we lost possession, the situation reversed,” Slot explained.
“Perhaps that encapsulates our season. There’s always a different factor, a unique way in which we concede. But we do concede, and ultimately, we are the only ones responsible.”
Slot’s post-match focus centered on fixture congestion and player fatigue.
Liverpool delivered a stellar performance midweek in Marseille, but faced a different challenge against a Bournemouth side deserving of praise for their relentless pursuit of a winner, despite relinquishing a two-goal lead.
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Tired Liverpool players ‘falling over their own feet’ – Slot
By the hour mark, three of Liverpool‘s starting back four had been substituted, with Gomez injured, and Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong removed to manage their fitness.
“I believe it’s fair to say that several of our players were running on empty,” Slot acknowledged. “I cannot fault them for that, given that we played an away game in Europe just two days prior.
“We are the only team participating in the Champions League with such a short turnaround.”
In mitigation, Liverpool‘s limited squad depth was apparent, exacerbated by injuries and absences. However, aside from Rio Ngumoha, they concluded the game with predominantly senior players, and Slot had options like Endo, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones, and Hugo Ekitike available from the bench.
Nevertheless, Slot openly admitted that Bournemouth could have scored a third goal earlier in the match. The winning goal arrived in the 95th minute, triggering jubilant scenes, but it came as no surprise to those closely following Liverpool this season.
They have now conceded a 90th-minute winning goal for the third time in this Premier League campaign – the most in a single season – and have dropped points in stoppage time on five occasions.
Furthermore, they have conceded five Premier League goals from throw-ins this season, more than any other team.
Should Arsenal prevail against Manchester United on Sunday (16:30 GMT), Liverpool will find themselves closer to the relegation zone than the top of the Premier League table, a damning assessment of their disappointing title defence.
“Their primary objective must now be to salvage the season by securing Champions League qualification, either through a top-four or perhaps top-five finish – a significant decline from their performance last season,” Shearer added.
Liverpool‘s Premier League title defence has long been over. While this squad should be competing for the title next season, they currently lack a clear identity and, more importantly, have lost their aura of fear.
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