BOURNEMOUTH, England — If there was a Premier League trophy for self-sabotage, it would surely have Liverpool‘s name on it. Time and time again this season, Arne Slot’s side have been the architects of their own downfall in the top flight, and it was true again on Saturday as they succumbed to a late 3-2 defeat away to AFC Bournemouth.
All the positive momentum generated by the morale-boosting UEFA Champions League 3-0 win over Marseille midweek was washed away by the south-coast rain as Amine Adli‘s 95th-minute winner secured all three points for the hosts at the Vitality Stadium.
Virgil van Dijk led the Liverpool protests as those in red-and-black wheeled away in celebration but there was to be no late reprieve from VAR and, not for the first time this term, Slot’s men only had themselves to blame.
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When Dominik Szoboszlai rifled home a stunning free kick in the 80th minute to draw Liverpool level, it felt like the pendulum was — for the first time in the game — about to swing in the visitors’ favor. But, with neither team content to settle for a point, chances came and went at both ends of the pitch before Adli bundled the ball past goalkeeper Alisson Becker with one of the last kicks of the match.
The Morocco international’s goal brought Liverpool’s unconvincing 13-game unbeaten run to a dismal end and once again cranked up the pressure on head coach Slot. With just four points gained from the last 15 available, the Reds have surrendered further ground in the race for Champions League qualification. They could drop to eighth in the table if all of their rivals win their respective fixtures on Sunday afternoon.
Slot’s side are still searching for their first league win in 2026 and have picked up just two points from losing positions this term. By contrast, they had come from behind to collect 23 points by the end of the last campaign, having picked up 29 points from losing positions in 2023-24.
In many ways, Liverpool’s season-long struggles were encapsulated by a bruising seven-minute spell in the first half, in which they conceded two goals and lost defender Joe Gomez to injury. Bournemouth’s opener came against the run of play after a miscued clearance by Van Dijk fell to Alex Scott, who teed up Evanilson to finish from close range.
Slot later defended his captain by offering up the high winds inside the stadium as mitigation for his error, though it is not the first time this season that an individual mistake has cost Liverpool dearly. The visitors’ frustration was compounded when a collision between Alisson and Gomez as they attempted to clear the ball resulted in the latter being forced off the pitch with a knock.
Inexplicably, Liverpool failed to kick the ball out of play to allow for a substitution to be made — despite Slot’s emphatic protestations on the touchline — and so by the time makeshift center back Wataru Endo entered the pitch in the 33rd minute, they were 2-0 down thanks to a smart strike from Álex Jiménez.
“There has only been seven minutes where I wouldn’t even say we were struggling, but where the other team was part of the game as well and in those seven minutes we conceded two,” Slot said in his post-match news conference.
“Of course, the second one was when we were down to 10 because of the first goal.
“Joe Gomez had to go off with an injury. He wanted to try. He thought he could but then he couldn’t. And maybe that sums up our season. It’s every time something else. It’s every time something special happens that we concede. But we concede and the only ones to blame are ourselves.”
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of Saturday’s defeat for Slot will be the fact that his team recovered from that first-half storm to restore parity, with Van Dijk reducing the deficit with a fine header from a corner on the stroke of halftime.
Slot has repeatedly lamented his team’s lack of efficacy from set pieces this term, with Van Dijk’s goal just the second Liverpool had scored from a corner out of 118 attempts in the Premier League. Szoboszlai’s second-half strike was the result of another dead-ball situation, though the Reds’ set-piece balance took a further hit when Adli’s winner was netted via a long throw.
Only Bournemouth (17) have conceded more goals from set pieces than Liverpool (14) this season. Adli’s strike was also the fifth goal the Reds had conceded after the 90th minute in the top flight this term, with all of those goals coming in one-goal defeats or draws.
“Conceding a goal is always frustrating, but especially if there’s no time left to come back into the game,” Slot said.
“But I think it’s safe to say that [Bournemouth] could have scored the 3-2 also a little bit earlier. What I mean by that, I think after we scored the 2-2, we were still trying, but it’s safe to say that a few players of ours ran out of energy and I cannot even criticize them for that because two days ago we had to play an away game in Europe.
“We are the only team that played Champions League that had two days in between this time after an away game, another away game against one of the most intense teams in the league. And I mainly, as you probably see, play the same players because of the players we have available.”
Slot is right to highlight the paucity of options he currently has at his disposal. Gomez’s injury means Liverpool are down to just two fit senior center backs, one of whom — Ibrahima Konaté — is currently on compassionate leave following the death of his father.
Striker Hugo Ekitike was named on the bench against Bournemouth in a bid to manage his minutes, with Slot keen to ensure he doesn’t overwork his only senior center forward while Alexander Isak continues his recovery from a broken leg. Both Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez also had to be substituted on Saturday to preserve their fitness.
With so few options to choose from and games coming thick and fast, it feels like Liverpool are taking a huge risk if it decides against bolstering the squad before the transfer window closes on Feb. 2.
That Andy Robertson was required to play 45 minutes at left back following Kerkez’s withdrawal also indicates it would be a gamble to let him depart to Tottenham Hotspur this month.
In more ways than one, Liverpool remain a fragile beast. The physical and mental resilience that underpinned their title win last season has seemingly deserted them this term and there has been little suggestion that the tide is about to turn, with promising displays too often backed up by ponderous, error-strewn performances.
At the final whistle on Saturday, Slot and his players cut forlorn figures as they traipsed off the pitch, soaked to the bone. Certainly, when it rains for Liverpool this season, it pours.
