Going into the match at Bournemouth, Liverpool’s unbeaten run was the longest of any side in Europe’s top five leagues.
Hardly the sign of a team struggling.
But, as Amine Adli wheeled away in ecstasy after scoring Bournemouth’s winner in the 95th minute, the reality of Liverpool’s problems that were somewhat hidden by their 13-game undefeated sequence were laid bare.
The reigning champions are now winless in their past five Premier League matches, after four draws and one defeat.
Bar the draw against Arsenal, the other four games have been against Leeds, Burnley, Fulham and now Bournemouth.
This is a Liverpool side no longer feared – one that has lost the aura they possessed while romping to the title last season. Here, they defended erratically and were predictable going forward.
“From Bournemouth’s point of view, they would have looked at Liverpool and thought ‘why can’t we beat them?’ Arne Slot’s side look miles off the team we saw last season,” said Alan Shearer, who is a pundit on Saturday’s Match of the Day.
“Liverpool just don’t look right in all areas. They’re making too many errors and are weak defensively, as we saw with the winning goal. While they scored two goals from set-pieces, they didn’t create anywhere near enough from open play.”
Bournemouth have been there for the taking this season.
Andoni Iraola’s side have been decimated by injuries and no longer have Antoine Semenyo since he joined Manchester City. The Cherries came into this game with one win in 14 matches, but ruthlessly exposed Liverpool.
Virgil van Dijk’s error for the first goal by Evanilson was entirely avoidable, even if Slot insisted the windy conditions played a part.
Yet the fact that Liverpool did not think to play the ball out before the second goal by Alex Jimenez, in order to replace the injured Joe Gomez and no longer play with 10 men, was baffling.
Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff were telling the players to put the ball out so they could bring Wataru Endo on. They were made to pay, and from that point on Liverpool were up against it.
“I tried to scream towards them [his players] to put the ball out of play but actually we were quite comfortable – I think we kept the ball for quite a long time and then when we lost it, it was the opposite,” said Slot.
“Maybe that sums up our season. It’s every time something else, it’s every time something special how we concede. But we concede and the only ones to blame are ourselves.”
For Slot, the focus post-match was on fixture congestion and the tiredness of his players.
Liverpool were brilliant midweek in Marseillebut this was a different challenge entirely against a Bournemouth side that deserve all the credit for chasing a winner, despite losing a two-goal lead.
By the hour mark, three of Liverpool’s starting back four were off the pitch with Gomez injured, while Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong were taken off to protect their fitness.
“I think it’s safe to say a few players of ours ran out of energy,” said Slot. “I cannot even criticise them for that because two days ago we had to play an away game in Europe.
“We are the only team that played [in the] Champions League that has two days between in this time.”
In mitigation, Liverpool’s lack of depth was clear with notable injuries and absences but, bar Rio Ngumoha, they still finished the game with senior players and Slot was able to call on the likes of Endo, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones and Hugo Ekitike off the bench.
Yet Slot was forthcoming in insisting Bournemouth could have made it 3-2 earlier. The winner came in the 95th minute and led to wild scenes, but it hardly came as a surprise for those who have followed Liverpool this season.
They conceded a 90th-minute winning goal for the third time in the Premier League this campaign – their most in a single season in the competition – and it was the fifth time they had lost points in stoppage time.
It was also the fifth Premier League goal they have conceded from a throw-in this season – the most of any team.
If Arsenal win against Manchester United on Sunday (16:30 GMT), Liverpool will be closer to the relegation zone than the top of the Premier League. That alone is a damning indictment of their woeful title defence.
“Their aim has to be salvaging the season by qualifying for the Champions League with a top-four or perhaps top-five finish – but that’s a big drop-off from what we saw last season,” added Shearer.
Liverpool’s Premier League defence has been over for a while. This is a squad that should compete for the title next season, but right now they have no semblance of an identity, and above all are no longer feared.
By BBC Sports
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