Bournemouth’s Billing stuns Liverpool as Mohamed Salah fires penalty wide

How to follow perfection? This being the Liverpool of 2022-23, a 7-0 torching of Manchester United was succeeded by a defeat by Bournemouth, kicking off as bottom of the Premier League, with Mohamed Salah clanking a penalty wide in the style of Chris Waddle, Turin 1990 vintage.

What has recently seemed a fait accompli, Liverpool rescuing a disappointing season with a top-four place, can no longer be considered certain. Jürgen Klopp’s team have become a combination of high-end brilliance and low-end mediocrity, just too unreliable to count on.

Here was another shapeless performance in which heavy metal thunder was too easy to quieten. There were also portents from history to consider. Last time Liverpool won 7-0 in the Premier League, in December 2020, they drew 1-1 with West Brom in the following game. As this season threatens to be, a heroic comeback on Wednesday in Madrid pending, targets for that campaign were soon reduced to finishing in the top four.

Klopp, shielded from an icy wind by a snood pulled under his eyes, had made one, quasi-enforced change to last week’s history men. Jordan Henderson’s cold had relegated him to the bench. Stefan Bajcetic stepped into midfield with Bournemouth set up to defend in numbers, Dominic Solanke and Philip Billing the target for pressure-releasing long balls, with Dango Ouattara, on the left, the other outlet. As Liverpool built up a series of opportunities in the opening 20 minutes, a warning was served.

Ouattara broke down the left, rounded Alisson but could only hit the side-netting. That failed to ring enough Liverpool alarms and after a couple more promising attacks, the home team scored, by no means against the run of play. Ouattara was again left open on the right, having been played onside by Ibrahima Konaté and he carved to the byline, laying up Billing to score.

Mohamed Salah’s second-half penalty flies wide of Bournemouth’s goal. Photograph: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

Liverpool’s initial response was sluggish, little created beyond Virgil van Dijk climbing highest to an inswinging free-kick and heading wide. The better chances were Bournemouth’s, Solanke crashing wide from the edge of the penalty box.

Klopp’s half-time solution was to throw Diogo Jota on for Harvey Elliott, unable to repeat the energy levels of the previous Sunday. It made for an all-star forward line, and from a left-hand position, Cody Gakpo having shunted behind Darwin Núñez with Salah out right as usual, Jota had Liverpool’s first chance of the second period, though failed to beat Neto in Bournemouth’s goal.

Four up front kept Bournemouth hemmed back but Liverpool were still struggling for flow. Klopp soon broke up that attacking quartet by bringing on Roberto Firmino for Núñez, who left the field in clear disappointment.

Within seconds, VAR looked to have come to Liverpool’s rescue, Adam Smith handling in the area as Jota headed the ball back across goal. However Salah launched the ball into the Ted MacDougall Stand from the penalty spot to widespread astonishment and loud jeers. The pattern of play remained the same thereafter, Liverpool grinding through the gears, Bournemouth defending in numbers, occasionally buying time with some neat interchanges while Liverpool frustrations grew. Gakpo’s last-seconds shot wide was the best effort after many minutes of messy, formless pressure.

The team that ran Arsenal so close the previous week only to lose 3-2 had Gary O’Neil urging them not to make the same mistakes, Lloyd Kelly, Jack Stephens and Marcos Senesi a wall across the penalty box. “It’s about having David Brooks back today,” O’Neil had said in pre-match. The Wales midfielder’s presence in the match-day squad, as an unused sub, for the first time in 525 days after Hodgkin Lymphoma was a good news story whatever happened. To Liverpool’s cost, Bournemouth’s day got yet better.