Isak strikes as Liverpool edge past Bournemouth on Iraola's return

Liverpool moved into the Premier League top six ahead of the international break thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Bournemouth. The narrative of the afternoon was dominated by Iraola’s return to his former stomping ground, and the Spaniard walked away with all three points courtesy of Isak’s decisive second-half strike.

The match-winning moment arrived 12 minutes into the second half when Cody Gakpo produced a fine piece of play down the right flank. His delivery into the box took a slight deflection off Florian Wirtz, falling perfectly for Isak to fire home in the 57th minute.

Bournemouth will feel aggrieved not to have taken anything from the contest, having dominated large spells of the opening period. Marco Rose’s side looked the more energetic of the two teams, frequently catching the visitors off guard with their high press. However, they lacked the finishing touch required to punish the Merseyside giants.

The victory marks Liverpool’s second league win of the campaign, lifting their tally to nine points to sit sixth as they head into the international break. Bournemouth, on the other hand, remain languishing near the bottom of the table in 17th place with just three points, level with Coventry.

The game opened up significantly following Isak's opener, with both teams finding space in the final third. Bradley Barcola had earlier tested Djordje Petrovic after a trademark mazy run, while Dominik Szoboszlai saw a powerful free-kick whistle just past the upright. Bournemouth pushed hard for a late equaliser, but Evanilson could only direct a curled effort straight into Alisson's hands as the pressure mounted.

Liverpool had chances to make the closing stages more comfortable, most notably through James Hill's heroic intervention. Gakpo had played Isak through for what looked like a certain second, but Hill produced a magnificent block to keep the deficit at one. In stoppage time, substitute Lewis Koumas also wasted a golden chance to seal the result, firing a Victor Munoz pass directly at Petrovic.

Following the international break, Liverpool will return to Premier League action with a blockbuster clash against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday, October 11. Iraola’s side will be eager to secure their first home league victory of the season, having been held to frustrating draws by Nottingham Forest (2-2) and Fulham (0-0) in their opening fixtures on Merseyside.