Liverpool’s Premier League run continued on the south coast as they were beaten 3-2 by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Liverpool’s Premier League run continued on the south coast as they were beaten 3-2 by Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. It was a night full of drama, defensive mistakes, late twists, and another injury setback.
The Reds started brightly but fell behind against the run of play in the 26th minute.
A long ball into the box was not dealt with by Virgil van Dijk, allowing Lewis Cook to square for Evanilson, who finished from close range.
In the same move, Joe Gomez was injured after colliding with Alisson Becker. The defender tried to continue but was clearly struggling and had to be replaced soon after.
It was another blow for Arne Slot, who was already without Ibrahima Konate, Conor Bradley, and Giovanni Leoni.
Bournemouth doubled their lead when James Hill split the Liverpool defence with a pass that found Alex Jimenez, who fired low past Alisson to make it 2-0.
Liverpool looked in trouble, but they kept pushing.
Just before the break, the Reds found a lifeline. Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner was met by Van Dijk, who made up for his earlier error by directing the ball into the net.
In the second half, Slot made changes and Liverpool dominated possession. The pressure finally paid off with ten minutes left.
Szoboszlai smashed in a long-range strike after a clever free-kick from Mohamed Salah, who was making his first league start since November.
Liverpool pushed for a winner, but it was Bournemouth who had the final say. A long throw caused chaos in the box, and Amine Adli bundled the ball home with the last kick of the match.
The defeat extended Liverpool’s winless league run and underlined the growing pressure around the squad.
After the match, Slot gave a clear update on Gomez’s condition to Sky Sports.
“Joe Gomez had to come off. He wanted to try, he thought he could but then he couldn’t,” Slot said.
He explained the incident saying, “Joe got a knock from Ali. His knee went into somewhere [in his leg]. I think it was bone on bone. You could see he was not able to continue today.”
Slot also confirmed that Alisson felt the impact.
“Ali had some swelling in his knee.”
When asked about a return date, Slot was cautious. “I don’t know if Joe is going to train in two or three days, that is difficult to say, but it was clear he couldn’t continue today.”
With key defenders missing and big games ahead, Liverpool now face another test in a season that keeps demanding more from them.
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