Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
2024/25 English Premier League
Matchday 5
Liverpool v Bournemouth
Anfield
Liverpool, England
Saturday, 21 September 2024
Kick-off is at 16h00
Liverpool will target a return to winning ways when they welcome Bournemouth to Anfield on Saturday, September 21 after seeing their perfect start to the season come to an end.
The Reds had managed to keep pace with Manchester City in the opening three rounds, beating Ipswich, Brentford and Manchester United as they recorded clean sheets in each of those matches.
But Arne Slot's side were frustrated by Nottingham Forest on September 14 and suffered their first defeat of the campaign after Callum Hudson-Odoi's 72nd-minute goal settled the contest on Merseyside.
Liverpool dropped to fourth in the standings as Arsenal (2nd) and Newcastle (3rd) overtook them, while City went two points clear of the packing pack at the
Premier League summit.
The Cherries registered their first win of the season when they beat Everton 3-2 prior to the international break, but their unbeaten start also came to a halt with a 1-0 loss to Chelsea on September 14.
Andoni Iraola's side dropped out of the top to 11th spot, level on five points with Fulham (12th) and one behind Manchester United (10th) and Brentford (11th).
Image Source: Alamy Stock Photo
In team news, Harvey Elliott remains sidelined for the hosts with an ankle injury, but Federico Chiesa is still being assessed. Kepa is expected to be back in goal after being ineligible to face parent club Chelsea, although Tyler Adams (back) and Dango Ouattara (ankle) continue to be unavailable.
Slot felt his players were sloppy in possession and admitted their performances weren't of the required standard against a well-structured Tricky Trees.
"The only thing we had influence on was ball possession. If you play so much on their half we have to be better, we lost the ball so many times in simple situations," the Dutchman said.
"I saw today a team that wanted to fight until the end, so it's not to do with energy, but we had the ball a lot. We have to create from ball possession. It wasn't good enough, too many individual performances were not of the standard I'm used to from these players.
"It's a big setback if you lose a home game, especially if you face a team that is not usually ending up in the top 10. They were organised and structured really well but it's a big disappointment."
Iraola refused to comment on the refereeing against Chelsea after a record 14 yellow cards were dished out, but he praised the performance of his players after they created a whole host of chances and hit the woodwork twice, while also having a penalty saved.
"We played really well. We had many more chances than them. Their keeper, especially, made the difference. He (Robert Sanchez) was the best player on the pitch," the Spaniard said.
"I will not talk about the referee. I've been talking and it's not working. I will try the opposite: not talk and see if something happens."
Head-to-Head (Last Five Premier League Meetings)
Matches - 5
Liverpool wins - 4
Bournemouth wins - 1
Draws - 0
Premier League Matchday 5 fixtures:
Saturday, September 21
13h30: West Ham United v Chelsea
16h00: Aston Villa v Wolverhampton Wanderers
16h00: Fulham v Newcastle United
16h00: Leicester City v Everton
16h00: Liverpool v Bournemouth
16h00: Southampton v Ipswich Town
16h00: Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford
18h30: Crystal Palace v Manchester United
Sunday, September 22
15h00: Brighton & Hove Albion v Nottingham Forest
17h30: Manchester City v Arsenal
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