The unbeaten run was a lie
Everyone saw this coming. Maybe not this exact result — Bournemouth 3-2 Liverpool — but something like it. Something ugly.
For weeks, Liverpool's "unbeaten run" had been a statistical illusion. Thirteen games without defeat sounds impressive until you realise the Reds had won just six of them. Four straight draws in the Premier League in 2026. Zero wins against promoted sides at Anfield this season. The cracks were visible. Everyone could see them except, apparently, those inside the Anfield boardroom.
And then came the Vitality Stadium on Saturday evening. Amine Adli, deep into stoppage time, bundling a loose ball past Alisson. Bournemouth players piling on top of each other. Andoni Iraola, finally beating Liverpool after six attempts. The dam had broken.
Same old mistakes, same old outcome
Liverpool went behind twice through self-inflicted wounds. First, Virgil van Dijk — the supposed best defender in the country — failed to deal with a straightforward long ball, letting Alex Scott slip in Evanilson for a composed finish in the 26th minute. Seven minutes later, Milos Kerkez was caught napping on the left side as Alex Jiménez ran in behind James Hill's pass. 2-0 Bournemouth before the half-hour mark.
Against a team missing Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert, Ben Gannon-Doak, Enes Unal, and David Brooks. Against a squad so thin that Iraola admitted before kick-off he "desperately needed help" in the transfer market. Against opponents who hadn't won in 13 league games before their recent upturn.
Liverpool pulled one back through Van Dijk's header just before half-time, and Dominik Szoboszlai's free-kick made it 2-2 with ten minutes remaining. The old script said Liverpool would find a winner. They've done it so many times before — that late surge, that Anfield energy, even when playing away.
But this isn't last season's Liverpool. This is a tired, leggy team running on fumes.
Slot knows the problem but can't fix it
Arne Slot's post-match comments were revealing. When asked about the final ten minutes when Bournemouth found their winner, the Dutchman didn't hide:
"The last 10 minutes was probably their best 10 minutes although we were on their side as well. It's mostly the same players who have to play and it's safe to say they were very tired. I saw Jeremie Frimpong almost falling over his own feet before I took him off."
There it is. "The same players who have to play." Liverpool's squad depth has been a growing concern all season. Frimpong, who looked electric when he arrived from Leverkusen, has been flogged. Mohamed Salah, just back from AFCON duty with Egypt, played the full 90 minutes in Marseille midweek and started again here. Neither looked sharp.
And there's something else that won't go away: the low-block problem. Steven Gerrard called it out this week, saying Slot talks about it too much. Fair point, Stevie, but the issue isn't the talking — it's the fact Liverpool still can't break teams down consistently. Yes, Bournemouth press high. But when Liverpool went 2-0 down and needed to play through a compact shape in the second half, the same old patterns emerged: sideways passes, crosses into crowded boxes, and frustrated looks.
Iraola gets his day
Spare a thought for Andoni Iraola, though. The Bournemouth boss had lost all five previous meetings against Liverpool as Cherries manager, including that heartbreaking 4-2 defeat on the opening day of the season when Federico Chiesa and Salah struck late.
This time, his depleted squad found a way. Evanilson was a menace. The Brazilian striker has been inconsistent this season, but he looked sharp here, taking his goal well and pressing Van Dijk into errors. Adli, brought on as a late substitute, became the unlikely hero with that scrappy finish that'll live long in Bournemouth folklore.
The Cherries have now taken seven points from their last three league games after going on that horrible 11-match winless run. Sometimes all you need is a bit of momentum, a bit of belief.
Where does this leave Liverpool?
In trouble, that's where.
Five league games without a win — the longest such run of the season. Fourteen points behind Arsenal at the top. Still fourth, yes, but Chelsea and Manchester United are breathing down their necks, separated only by goal difference and a prayer.
This was supposed to be a straightforward away day. Bournemouth, injury-ravaged, out of form, without their talisman Semenyo (now thriving at Manchester City). Instead, it became another example of Liverpool's inability to close games out, to assert control when it matters.
The midweek win in Marseille papered over the cracks temporarily. But Saturday exposed the same fragility that's plagued Slot's side for months.
The verdict
Look, I've covered English football for thirty years. I've seen title defences crumble in more dramatic fashion than this. But this feels different. This feels like a team that doesn't believe anymore.
Slot is a good coach. The tactical tweaks against Marseille showed he can adapt. But adaptation means nothing if your players can't execute under pressure. Van Dijk's errors were criminal. Kerkez looked like a player who'd rather be somewhere else — and given his January move from Bournemouth to Liverpool, playing against his former club might have messed with his head.
Liverpool will beat Qarabag at Anfield on Wednesday. They'll probably win their next couple of home games too. But until they sort out their issues — the fatigue, the concentration lapses, the inability to kill games off — results like this will keep happening.
The unbeaten run is dead. And honestly? It needed to die. Now everyone can stop pretending and start admitting what's been obvious for weeks: Liverpool have a serious problem, and time is running out to fix it.
Bournemouth: Petrovic; Smith, Hill, Senesi, Truffert; Jiménez, Scott, Cook; Kroupi, Adli; Evanilson
Liverpool: Alisson; Frimpong, Gomez, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Szoboszlai, Wirtz; Gakpo, Salah
Goals: Evanilson 26', Jiménez 33', Van Dijk 45', Szoboszlai 80', Adli 90+5'
