Match Reaction: Bournemouth 4-3 Liverpool

Liverpool saw their title aspirations derailed on Sunday as they let a 3-1 lead slip after a late comeback from a spirited Bournemouth side saw them win 4-3 with 4 goals in the final 17 minutes.

A dominant first half display from the reds saw them establish a 2-0 lead with goals from Mane and Origi.

The goal from Mane was his eighth in the league and now sees him become Liverpool top scorer above Firmino and Coutinho.

Goals from Sadio Mane and Divock Origi saw Liverpool lead 2-0 at half time.

Bournemouth improved considerably in the second half and the substitution of Ryan Fraser proved successful as he scored and created 2 assists.

The attacking prowess on show from Liverpool was typical of their season so far. They have now scored 35 goals in the league this season, more than any other team.

It is apparent that the problem is the makeshift defence which included Lucas – a defensive midfielder – and James Milner who has impressed at left back this term despite being a midfielder yet he gave away a penalty that gave Bournemouth the opportunity to get back into the game.

Lucas Leiva partnered Dejan Lovren at centre back as part of a makeshift Liverpool back line.

In the 14 games Liverpool have played in the league this term, they have let in 18 goals.

When this is compared to the 15 goals that 16th placed Middlesbrough have conceded it shows how big of an issue this may be if the reds hope to challenge at the top of the league this season.

New goalkeeper Loris Karius came under scrutiny for his display in the game with fans remarking on his apparent lack of confidence or any command over his defence.

In his 9 appearances this season Karius has only managed to keep 3 clean sheets, averaging 1.10 goals conceded per game.

Loris Karius received criticism for his part in allowing Bournemouth to complete a late comeback.

Captain Jordan Henderson praised Bournemouth after the game in an interview with liverpoolfc.com

“You’ve got to give credit to Bournemouth, they kept going right until the end but we’ve got to learn from it quickly, move on and make sure we’re right at it in the next game.”

 A positive outlook on the shock result for Liverpool is that it will surely motivate them to learn from their mistakes and improve for their next game against struggling West Ham at Anfield.

 

Liverpool are still unbeaten at home and their only other defeat of the season came at Turf Moor against Burnley in August.

After the defeat to Burnley they went on a run of 15 games without defeat in all competitions and so it may be too early to panic as  reds fan, with a similar run succeeding the Bournemouth game potentially leaving Liverpool in a very healthy position as they approach the end of the season.

The reds now sit third in the Premier League after 14 games but are still keeping chase with the rest of the teams at the top of the league and will look to go into the new year still in the race for the title.