Liverpool player ratings vs Bournemouth: Crisis on Merseyside! Mohamed Salah suffers agonising defeat on Premier League return as Virgil van Dijk mistake extends Reds' winless run in 2026

Liverpool's defensive frailties were their undoing once again after Arne Slot's side lost with the last kick of the match, beaten 3-2 in dramatic fashion by Bournemouth at a rain-soaked Vitality Stadium. The Red were behind midway through the first-half after captain Virgil van Dijk failed to deal with a long pass into the box and the hosts' lead was doubled moments later. The Reds battled back into the match, but were sunk in the last second as Amine Adli stabbed the ball home to send the Cherries fans delirious.

The opening goal came against the run of play and Reds captain Van Dijk was at fault. The Dutchman failed to knock a long ball out of play, Lewis Cook squared to Evanilson who fired home from close range. Joe Gomez hobbled off just moments later after colliding with Alisson in the build-up to the goal, another injury headache for Slot who was without Ibrahima Konate again due to personal reasons. And there will be questions over why it took Liverpool so long to get Wataru Endo ready to come on the pitch as there was further woe in the delay when James Hill’s slide-rule pass found Alex Jimenez who fired low past Alisson to double their lead. With just seconds remaining in the first half Van Dijk redeemed himself for his earlier error by directing home Dominik Szoboszlai’s corner, an effort which appeared to deflect in off his shoulder.

Slot rang the changes in the second-half and the Reds enjoyed vastly superior possession, pushing hard for an equaliser, which finally came with 10 minutes remaining. Szoboszlai, who has endured a torrid couple of weeks, making high-profile mistakes in league and cup matches, thrashed home from 25 yards out after a neatly-worked free-kick from Mo Salah, who was making his first start for the Reds since late November.

The visitors searched for a winner and Florian Wirtz was denied by a fine save from Djordje Petrovic, but final word went to the Cherries after a long throw caused mayhem in the box and the ball was squeezed home by Adli from a tight angle to complete another woeful chapter in a poor season for the Premier League champions.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from the Vitality Stadium...

Getty Images Sport
Goalkeeper & Defence
Alisson Becker (4/10):
Will be disappointed with his performance, particularly the second goal, which went low underneath his body. And he made a mess of the deciding goal, too.
Jeremie Frimpong (5/10):
Had his hands full and seemed to find the incisive runs hard to deal with. Replaced on the hour by Curtis Jones.
Joe Gomez (5/10):
Lasted barely 25 minutes after colliding with Alisson in the build-up to Bournemouth's first goal and was forced off, replaced by Endo.
Virgil van Dijk (5/10):
A poor mistake allowed the Cherries to nick their first goal, but went some way to making amends with a goal of his own.
Milos Kerkez (4/10):
Didn't look comfortable all evening on his return to the South Coast and was subbed off at half-time, replaced by Robertson.

Getty Images Sport
Midfield
Ryan Gravenberch (6/10):
Showed his typical committed attitude in covering the defence and helping with attacking runs. A solid evening.
Alexis Mac Allister (6/10):
A performance that seemed off the pace all evening, unable to make a telling pass and was replaced by Ekitike.
Dominik Szoboszlai (8/10):
It wasn't a classic performance, but his free-kick was an absolute stunner - which he fired right into the corner of the net.
AFP
Attack
Mohamed Salah (6/10):
Will be delighted to find himself back in the starting XI, but there's still something missing from his game.
Cody Gakpo (6/10):
An unremarkable performance, had few touches of any importance, despite playing just over 70 minutes.
Florian Wirtz (7/10):
Came so very close to scoring the winner, but his low drive was saved. An industrious performance, just lacking a defining moment for his club.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

AFP
Subs & Manager
Wataru Endo (6/10):
Wouldn't have expected to play so much of the game and put in a composed performance.
Andrew Robertson (5/10):
Was serenaded by the Liverpool fans, clearly keen to see him stay.
Curtis Jones (5/10):
Only a few touches, had very little time to make an impact.
Rio Ngumoha (6/10):
Brought on to replace Gakpo, but had few opportunities to impose himself on the game in the 15 minutes he played.
Hugo Ekitike (5/10):
Was given a starting place on the bench, but failed to make a noticeable contribution when he came on.
Arne Slot (5/10):
Was absolutely livid in the moments after the final whistle. His team did well to draw level, but a mess in defence was his team undoing again.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Subs & Manager