Liverpool’s 2025/26 Premier League campaign got off a flyer with a 4-2 win over Bournemouth on the opening day – but Alan Shearer, during Match of the Day’s first show of the new season, has been criticised by the Anfield faithful for committed a glaring on-air error regarding Reds’ Milos Kerkez.
Hugo Ekitike, Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa and Mohamed Salah all got on the scoresheet for the reigning champions – and their four-goal display, which batted away Antoine Semenyo’s brace, meant that their title defence got off to a good start.
Arne Slot’s men may have walked away with all three points against Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth side – but much has been made of their porous defence. The Reds were definitely feeling the absence of Ryan Gravenberch, who was serving a suspension.
Shearer’s Match of the Day Gaffe Criticised by Liverpool Fans
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
And Liverpool’s troubles at the back was – despite the score – one of the main talking points after the game. In the opening episode of a Gary Lineker-less Match of the Day, Shearer – widely regarded as one of the best strikers in Premier League history – was particularly critical of how they defended Bournemouth’s first.
In fact, he blamed Kerkez for not tracking the run of Semenyo as the Ghanaian scored his first of the evening – and that’s all despite the Hungarian left-back being substituted for Andy Robertson four minutes before the visitors grabbed a goal.
milos kerkez liverpool
Kerkez, who was signed to be Robertson’s long-term replacement for Liverpool this summer, started the game alongside Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk and Jeremie Frimpong – but his Anfield debut was cut short on the hour mark.
In his commentary of Semenyo’s first goal, Shearer became muddled by saying: “There’s Kerkez, he’s on the way to attack when they haven’t even got possession, which means he’s five or six yards out of position.”
Watch Match of the Day's analysis below:
An on-screen graphic made the striker-turned-pundit’s blunder even worse by listing Robertson as Kerkez, who lost track of Semenyo’s run in the 64th minute. The Liverpool faithful were quick to berate the ex-Newcastle United man.
“Interesting analysis from Alan Shearer on Match of the Day, noting Milos Kerkez’s role in Bournemouth’s first goal. Interesting because Milos Kerkez had been subbed at that point,” one said.
Another fan, frustrated at the BBC’s lack of basic research, wrote: “Milos Kerkez nowhere near good enough for Semenyo’s first goal according to Alan Shearer. Got to feel a bit for him though as it’s difficult for him to track back from the bench.”
“The editorial team on MOTD are off to a rocky start. Shearer said Kerkez was caught out of position for the first Bournemouth goal and I think the graphics even said Kerkez, but he’d already been subbed and it was actually Robbo. Awkward.”
A fifth Liverpool concluded by to lambast Match of the Day’s first show of the new Premier League campaign. “To sum up MOTD and Alan Shearer’s analysis, he’s talking about Kerkez being out of position on Semenyo for their first. Kerkez had been subbed before Bournemouth scored.”