On Saturday, a plodding Liverpool lost 1-0 to Bournemouth away from Anfield thanks to Mohamed Salah’s missed penalty.
With yet another subpar away performance from Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool, last Sunday’s historic 7-0 triumph over arch-rivals Manchester United was forgotten after only six days, which might have serious repercussions for their aspirations of finishing in the top four.
Goalkeeper and Defenders
Alisson (6.5/10)
If only a few of his team members could have been as consistent as Alisson on Saturday for Liverpool. He occasionally displayed safe hands, and his delivery was consistent, but he was powerless to stop Philip Billing’s first strike.
Alexander-Arnold (5.5/10)
This was too frequently the same Trent we saw earlier in the season after a stretch of better play. Others were more at fault, but after losing concentration, he enabled Billing to give Bournemouth the lead, and he failed to make a difference in the final third. At one point in the first half when the hosts should have taken the lead, the ball was carelessly lost.
Ibrahima Konate (5/10)
While Konate has been excellent after making a full recovery from an injury, his performance in this game was rather careless. He was inconsistent the entire time, picking up fouls and giving the ball back, and this season, he reminded people of Joel Matip and Joe Gomez. That was a rare nice occasion when there was a strong advance.
Virgil Van Dijk (4.5/10)
Van Dijk can be quite annoying to watch when he is acting like this. We all know he plays football with a laid-back attitude, but in this instance, he was guilty of being far too lethargic, losing too easily to Alassane Ouattara for Billing’s goal. In a rather bad day for the No. 4, he was also stopped by Jefferson Lerma on the line and then headed wide with the goal gaping.
Andy Robertson (6.5/10)
Robertson was one of Liverpool’s finest outfield players on his 29th birthday. He gave the Reds continual energy and made one early driving run and shot that almost put them ahead, but like so many others, he lost his way as the game wore on. Darwin Nunez and he were unable to connect at all.
Midfielders
Fabinho (5/10)
Fabinho, who continued to play in the No. 6 position, was rather disappointing against the Cherries since he could not completely control the midfield fight. He was alert and managed to keep things secure, but more was needed, and he still doesn’t appear to be the same physical machine he once was. The Reds’ surge was halted by one pass into touch.
Harvey Elliott (5.5/10)
Elliott’s performance last weekend against Man United was outstanding, but his impact today was completely different. Early on, he had some nice touches, but he was also physically overpowered a few times and generally failed to outperform Bournemouth’s midfielders. Replaced at the break.
Stefan Bajcetic (5/10)
Jordan Henderson was the only player changed for Liverpool, and Bajcetic battled just as much as his fellow midfielders. The game passed the Spaniard by since he was unable to control the play and did not contribute nearly enough moving forward. Days like these will occur; keep in mind that he is just 18 years old.
Forwards
Salah (4/10)
After becoming Liverpool’s all-time leading scorer in the Premier League, Salah has had a week full of honors, but today was a terrible day for him. Before the break, when his missed penalty proved to be so costly, he only really managed one misfired attempt. It was by no means close! Completely quiet and unlike the player who tore United to pieces before.
Darwin Nunez (6/10)
Nunez is a great but unpolished football player, and this was evident on Saturday. The Uruguayan committed far too many careless fouls and wasted passes, and he was unable to connect with Cody Gakpo and Salah the same way he did the previous weekend. Seemed upset to be replaced, but more was required.
Cody Gakpo (5/10)
Gakpo once again led the pack following a really encouraging stretch of form, but this was disappointing like so many others. He attempted to drop deep to have an impact on the game after having a goal rightfully disallowed for offside, but the hosts’ defense largely held strong against him. Although a few strong runs through the middle showed promise, the outcome was nonexistent.
Substitutions
Diogo Jota (7/10)
Very immediately after entering the game, Neto denied and was given the penalty.
Milner (6/10)
Was tenacious in his pursuits at right-back and significantly contributed to the penalty incident.
Carvalho (5/10)
With his first appearance in four months, there was no time to make an impression.
