Liverpool running on empty in away EPL defeat by Bournemouth, says manager Arne Slot

BOURNEMOUTH – Liverpool boss Arne Slot blamed fatigue for his side’s first defeat in 14 games, as Bournemouth’s Amine Adli struck with virtually the last kick of the game to snatch a 3-2 home win for the Cherries on Jan 24.

The Dutchman had steadied the ship in recent months after a run of nine defeats in 12 games in all competitions earlier in the campaign for the champions.

But the Reds have now failed to win in their last five English Premier League games in a major dent to their hopes of Champions League qualification next season.

In contrast to their domestic troubles, Liverpool took a giant step towards the Champions League last 16

with a 3-0 win in Marseille

on Jan 21.

Slot, though, blamed the tight turnaround and his threadbare options due to a number of injuries for his side running out of steam.

The visitors had fought back from 2-0 down to level with 10 minutes to go, thanks to goals from Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai.

But Bournemouth had missed two big chances to win the game in the closing stages, even before Adli’s 95th-minute strike.

“They probably had even more chances than us (in the final 10 minutes) which shouldn’t come as a complete surprise to me knowing that we’ve played two days before in Marseille.

“For the last four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10 games we’ve had to play with the same players (due to) the players we had available...

“So sometimes a few of them could be at the end of the game a bit tired.

“I think that’s what you could see at the end today as well.”

Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, was delighted with his side’s resilience and how they reacted to Liverpool’s surging comeback. 

“It is a massive win for us because we were in a difficult situation,” he told the BBC. 

“We are finding ways to get points against difficult opposition. I am very proud of the team and what we are doing. We are adapting, and we are getting good points.”

Bournemouth’s second goal came while Liverpool were down to 10 men, as Joe Gomez was forced off injured to further deplete Slot’s options at centre-back.

Midfielder Wataru Endo had to deputise at the heart of the defence, with Ibrahima Konate absent on compassionate leave after his father’s death and Giovanni Leoni out for the season with a cruciate knee ligament injury.

Slot introduced Andy Robertson at half-time, despite speculation that the Scotland captain could join Tottenham Hotspur before the end of the transfer window.

Robertson has just six months left on his contract and is reportedly keen for more first-team action ahead of the World Cup, after falling behind Milos Kerkez in the pecking order at Anfield.

But Slot insisted that he needs all the bodies he can get right now.

“I need all my players,” he added. “Robbo had to come in at half-time because I always knew another 90 minutes for Milos against a very intense Bournemouth side was not a possibility.

“There are a lot of games to play and with the players available, I have to manage that as well because the last thing we need right now is another injury.”

Former Newcastle United and England striker Alan Shearer felt “Liverpool just don’t look right in all areas”.

“They’re making too many errors and are weak defensively, as we saw with the winning goal,” said the Premier League’s record scorer on the BBC. “While they scored two goals from set pieces, they didn’t create anywhere near enough from open play.

“Their aim has to be salvaging the season by qualifying for the Champions League with a top-four or perhaps top-five finish – but that’s a big drop-off from what we saw last season.”

AFP, REUTERS