Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Olympique de Marseille in midweek had provided a welcome respite from their run of league draws, yet there was little in the early stages to suggest the domestic stalemates wouldn’t continue.
Mohamed Salah’s curling effort sailed high and wide, and was the only shot for either side until James Hill hooked a half-chance over Alisson’s crossbar 18 minutes in.
Bournemouth had seldom looked like extending their run of taking the lead in all their matches in 2026, but in the 26th minute, a ball over the top from Marcos Senesi was misjudged by Virgil van Dijk, allowing Alex Scott to get to the byline and pull the ball back for Evanilson to power past Alisson.
Seven minutes later, The Cherries’ evening got better when Van Dijk played Álex Jiménez onside, allowing him to latch onto a Hill through pass and roll the ball between the goalkeeper’s legs.
The defending champions’ fightback saw a low Florian Wirtz drive go narrowly wide and a tame Salah volley saved by Đorđe Petrović, before Van Dijk atoned for his errors by getting across his marker at the near post to head home a Dominik Szoboszlai corner on the stroke of half time.
Possession was almost exclusively Liverpool’s early in the second half, but whether it was Alexis Mac Allister, Jeremie Frimpong, or Cody Gakpo taking aim, there was always a Bournemouth player in position to provide a frustrating block.
And when Ryan Gravenberch’s powerful 20-yard strike evaded the hosts’ defence midway through the half, it whistled just past the post. Jiménez missed the chance to restore the two-goal lead from a long throw when the ball fell to him amid havoc in the Liverpool box, but Alisson clutched his strike.
That proved costly for Andoni Iraola’s side, as 10 minutes from time Liverpool scored the equaliser they had been threatening, as Salah rolled a free-kick back for Szoboszlai to curl around the wall and past Petrović.
A frantic few minutes following the restart saw Wirtz and Evanilson spurn golden chances, but with seconds to play, it was Bournemouth who won it when another long throw caused another goalmouth scramble, allowing Amine Adli to force the ball over the line. That goal sent the Vitality Stadium wild and ultimately ended a six-match H2H losing run.
Flashscore Man of the Match: James Hill (AFC Bournemouth)