Bournemouth beat limp Reds to boost survival hopes

Liverpool were brought back down to earth as they slipped to defeat at relegation-threatened Bournemouth just six days on from their historic victory over Manchester United.

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Jurgen Klopp's side humiliated their fierce rivals with a 7-0 win at Anfield last Sunday but Philip Billing's sixth goal of the season was enough for the Cherries to secure a 1-0 victory to move off the foot of the Premier League.

Mohamed Salah shanked a second-half penalty wide to sum up a poor display on a wet and windy south-coast afternoon, with Liverpool missing out on a chance to break into the top four ahead of the second leg of their Champions League tie with Real Madrid.

Bournemouth had been two goals up at league leaders Arsenal last week only to succumb to a stoppage-time winner but their response here was admirable.

Gary O'Neil's side were buoyed by the return of David Brooks to a matchday squad for the first time in 525 days, the Wales midfielder having been diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin lymphoma in October 2021.

Unsurprisingly, it was in-form Liverpool who created the first opportunity of the afternoon as Virgil van Dijk headed a corner goalwards only for the returning Jefferson Lerma to clear off the line.

Bournemouth should have broken the deadlock as Dango Ouattara broke in behind to latch onto a Dominic Solanke pass before trying to round Alisson, tightening the angle as he could only shoot into the side netting.

Birthday boy Andrew Robertson forced a smart stop out of Neto at the other end before Cody Gakpo turned home a Darwin Nunez cross only to be ruled offside.

Ouattara was causing the Liverpool defence all sorts of bother and ultimately it was the Burkina Faso winger who teed up Bournemouth's opener, shrugging