Mohamed Salah's missed penalty in the 69th minute was just one of many missed opportunities vs Bournemouth as the Reds could not capitalize on numerous chances in a shocking 1-0 loss to the Cherries.
First Half
Salah put a shot on goal in the 5th minute and Virgil van Dijk nearly scored seconds later on a header, but the attempt was cleared off the line. Bournemouth nearly struck on the counter-attack, but Alisson did a good job closing down the angle causing a miss.
In the 11th minute, Andy Robertson put the ball in the back of the net but he was whistled for offside.
The match settled down from that point, and it was Bournemouth who struck first. In the 28th minute, Dango Ouattara chased down a ball from the top and he crossed it to Philip Billing for a simple finish and a 1-0 Bournemouth lead. Van Dijk missed another open header in the 41st minute leaving the halftime score at 1-0 in favour of the Cherries.
Second Half
Diogo Jota came on as a halftime substitute and forced a save in the 49th minute. Jota also got his head on a cross by James Milner following a nice build-up from Cody Gakpo. The ball took a deflection off of Bournemouth defender Adam Smith and deflected behind for a corner. VAR took a closer look and eventually gave a penalty to Liverpool in the 69th minute. Salah lined up from the spot and sent the keeper the wrong way, but he put the shot well wide.
After that inexplicable miss, Liverpool looked shell-shocked and the Cherries tried to take advantage. Ouattara played a through ball to Jaidon Anthony in the 80th minute but he was ruled offsides. Alisson was forced into a big save in the 83rd minute off the foot of Ryan Christie to keep the Reds' deficit at 1-0. Liverpool had one more promising look deep in stoppage time, but Gakpo's shot just crept over the bar, sealing the Red's fate in the 1-0 loss.
What Might Have Been
I think it is fair to say that Liverpool dominated play for the majority of the match. They outshot Bournemouth 15-5 (6-2 on goal) and held nearly 70 per cent of possession. If they convert those chances, Liverpool have a much-needed 3 points and are sitting 4th on the table. Instead, they are 5th a full 6 points back of Tottenham, currently in 4th.
Salah's Scoring Streak Ends
When Salah stepped to the penalty spot in the 69th minute, supporters were confident he would put the ball in the back of the net for an equalizer. After all, The Egyptian King had scored in all of his previous appearances at Bournemouth and was a perfect 2 for 2 from the penalty spot this season. But the shot was well wide and was Salah's first penalty miss since 2021.
Wrong Side Of History Again
Liverpool seem to make history just about every week this season. Just one week after sending Manchester United to their worst Premier League defeat ever, Liverpool lost to Bournemouth for just the 2nd time in their history (a 4-3 defeat in 2016 the other) The Reds have had long winning steaks snapped against Nottingham Forest and Brentford this year also. The team's lack of success against teams at the bottom of the table is concerning.
LFC Globe Verdict
So much for consistency. Jürgen Klopp said the team was finally finding some after their last match, but issued a warning not to overlook the Cherries. He was right to be worried. Even though the Reds won nearly every statistical category, they failed to win on the scoreboard and that's what counts. The season is far from over and there is certainly still time to climb into the Top 4, but much like Salah's penalty, this loss feels like a big missed opportunity.
Man Of The Match & What's Next
Someone coming off of the bench rarely gets Man of the Match, but Diogo Jota deserves it. He came on at halftime for Harvey Elliott and created several chances, including the one that led to Salah's ill-fated penalty.
What's Next
Liverpool returns to Champions League action on the Ides of March (Wednesday March 15th) as they travel to Real Madrid. Kickoff is set for 21:00 GMT.
A list of streams will be available on our page Liverpool FC streams.
Goals
Liverpool
- None
Bournemouth
- Philip Billing 28'
Substitutions
Liverpool
- Diogo Jota for Harvey Elliott HT'
- Jordan Henderson for Fabinho 65'
- James Milner for Trent Alexander-Arnold 65'
- Roberto Firmino for Darwin Núñez 66'
- Fabio Carvalho for Stefan Bajčetić 88'
Bournemouth
- Ryan Christie for Philip Billing 70'
- Ryan Fredericks for Adam Smith 80'
- Lewis Cook for Jefferson Lerma 81'
- Matias Vina for Jaidon Anthony 88'
- Antoine Semenyo for Dominic Solanke 88'