19 August 2023 , 15:57
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Liverpool showed character to come from behind and beat Bournemouth relatively comfortably, despite Alexis Mac Allister's second-half red card.
Liverpool started terribly and, after Jaidon Anthony had a comical opener ruled out in the first minute, they went behind in after three minutes. A sloppy touch from Trent Alexander-Arnold saw Bournemouth win the ball high up the pitch before Antoine Semenyo slammed into the bottom corner.
Virgil van Dijk struck the bar with a header before Luis Diaz equalised with a fantastic acrobatic finish at the near post. Liverpool were gifted a chance to make it 2-1 when Joe Rothwell tripped Dominic Szoboszlai in the area, and although Neto saved Mohamed Salah's effort, the Egyptian gobbled up the rebound.
Things were made harder for Jurgen Klopp's side when Mac Allister was shown a straight red card for a high foot on Ryan Christie, but Diogo Jota made it 3-1 just four minutes later when he followed in an effort from Szoboszlai and was given a simple rebound by Neto.
Alisson was forced into a smart stop from Justin Kluivert, but Bournemouth struggled to make their numerical advantage count until some late pressure. Here are the talking points from Mirror Football .
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Trent shaky in midfield
Trent Alexander-Arnold was at fault for the opening goal (George Wood/Getty Images)It is a talking point as old as time itself: can Trent Alexander-Arnold play in central midfield?
Jurgen Klopp and Gareth Southgate think so, and so does the man himself. He has shown that he has the natural ability to do so, but many are not convinced that it is in the best interests of his club and country.
Those doubters were given ammunition just minutes into this game. First, a long ball over the top found Jaidon Anthony in behind Alexander-Arnold, who was in his normal right-back role and was fortunate he was offside.
He wasn’t so lucky minutes later. Virgil van Dijk rolled a pass into his feet in midfield, he took a trampoline-like first touch and was robbed by Philip Billing. The ball found its way to Semenyo, via Dominic Solanke and a touch from Andy Robertson and it was 1-0.
Salah passes Gerrard
Mohamed Salah scored his 187th goal for Liverpool (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Salah is a club legend at Liverpool and he cemented his status in their history on Saturday with a landmark goal.
He is now outright fifth on the list of top scorers for the club, having edged clear of Steven Gerrard by netting his 187th goal. Only Ian Rush (346), Roger Hunt (285), Gordon Hodgson (241) and Billy Liddell (228) remain above the Egyptian.
His goal was not pretty, coming as a rebound after Neto saved his unconvincing penalty, but it does remind fans – if needed – just how prolific Salah has been since arriving from Roma in June 2017. He now has 187 in 307 games, as well as 80 assists.
Endo given debut
Wataru Endo came off the bench after the red card (DARREN STAPLES/AFP via Getty Images)The red card to Mac Allister saw Wataru Endo given his Liverpool debut in unusual circumstances. The Japan international was brought on for Cody Gakpo and went straight to the base of the 10-man midfield.
Taking the No3 shirt from Fabinho, he appears a direct replacement for the Brazilian, who so ably anchored the midfield for the past few years.
There was a less-than-promising sign when Semenyo darted past him to send in a low cross which Kieffer Moore smashed over the bar, but Jota's goal allowed Liverpool a measure of comfort that Endo will no doubt have appreciated. Instead of joining a rear-guard action, Liverpool saw out the game fairly comfortably.
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Szoboszlai outstanding
Dominik Szoboszlai was brilliant against Bournemouth (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Liverpool fans may be frustrated with the number of signings this summer, but one of the ones they have made already looks right at home in a red shirt. Szoboszlai was the stand-out player at Anfield, full of composed passing, effortless gliding runs and eye-catching pieces of quality.
The Hungarian moves likes a £60m player and has the all-purpose qualities which will make him an extremely valuable asset for Klopp this season. He was at the heart of the good things Liverpool did, winning the penalty and firing in the shot which was too hot to handle for Neto, albeit with the aid of a deflection.
His deceptive turn of pace and ambition saw him sprint down the touchline and beat three Bournemouth players in the second half. He already feels like a crowd favourite so early in his career.
Jury out on Iraola
Andoni Iraola hasn't shown his cards at Bournemouth yet (Robin Jones/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images)Bournemouth turned heads when they took the ruthless decision to sack Gary O'Neil and appoint Andoni Iraola as their new manager over the summer.
We have only seen the Cherries in two Premier League games this season and it has been hard to notice a great deal of difference from last year in terms of style of play. The Spaniard made his name with Rayo Vallecano for playing an 'organised chaos' brand of football.
That might be a tough ask at Bournemouth, but they showed here that they have plenty of weapons. In Solanke and Billing they have two hard-working and skilful players to build around and they caused Liverpool plenty of players, especially through their fast start.