Liverpool rolls past Bournemouth despite early gaffe, Mac Allister red card

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds won the match, but he was left upset by the club’s terrible start to the contest and VAR’s failure to overturn Alexis Mac Allister’s red card.

Transcription by the BBC:

“Of course it should not happen and we will speak about it and hopefully not do it again [the poor start]. It gave the opposition a massive boost and they started super front-footed. When we found our way into the game we played in areas we had to play and we were calm, which is good. I said after Chelsea, after we conceded I saw us getting into a rush. I did not see that today. We found our way back into it and played the game we wanted. We scored two and had more chances. After 58 minutes the red card and after that it was tough for both teams, but for sure the team with a man less.

“I saw the red card back and for sure we have to talk about it. I understand 100% how it looks for a ref in that moment but when you see it back it is the inside of the foot and no power behind it. It is not ruthless it is just mishit the ball and then hit slightly the shin of the other player. We saw harsher challenges which were not a red card and this shouldn’t have been. I don’t know exactly what we have to do, but we should talk about it again.”

Here’s Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola — transcribed by the BBC — who later said he wasn’t sure if Alexis Mac Allister should’ve seen a red card, and that it didn’t look like a red ‘in real life.’

“We started well. We had a goal disallowed, we scored, we had another chance and with some mistakes from their keeper and defenders we played high but from there they improved and they pushed us.

“We take a lot of pride in the first half. We were doing pretty well and then the penalty came. It is soft. There is contact but it is a soft, soft contact. It was not an easy game to referee. If there is contact normally they don’t ask for second opinions. It was quite clear.

“I think we had quite a lot of chances. We scored one, had one disallowed and at the end we had three or four clear chances and should have scored.”

Liverpool gets goals from across its front three, while Dominik Szoboszlai was excellent and the Reds’ left-side of defense stood tall despite the early concession.

An eight-save day for Neto, who stopped Mohamed Salah’s penalty before the Egyptian potted the rebound, paces Bournemouth.

(FBref.com)

A terrible, terrible start did not foreshadow a bad performance for Liverpool, who comfortably collect points 2, 3, and 4 on the season despite an early concession and a second-half red card of soft description for Alexis Mac Allister.

Bournemouth needs a little bit better at the back and some more facilitation in the middle. Tyler Adams could free up some of his new teammates when/should he move to town, and Hungarian teen Milos Kerkez already looks plenty bright out wide.

Philip Billing airmails a free kick over the bar and that was probably Bournemouth’s last chance to set up a realistic comeback bid.

We’re headed for six minutes stoppage time, and Liverpool has controlled the match even down a man. Shot attempts are 26-10.

Liverpool removes Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota in favor of center back Joe Gomez and midfielder Harvey Elliott.

Alexander-Arnold looks to have picked up a knock. He doesn’t seem to be in too much distress but it’s worth bookmarking for Liverpool fans.

Bournemouth’s change is David Brooks for the goal scorer Semenyo.

It’s the 10-man Reds who score next.

Trent Alexander-Arnold lashes a shot from outside the box that takes a wicked deflection and Neto can only palm it down.

It spills two yards away from him and Jota is quickest to react, poaching a goal for 3-1.

Endo takes the spot of Cody Gakpo. Bournemouth also makes two subs, as Ryan Christie and Jaidon Anthony depart for Kieffer Moore and Justin Kluivert.

It should open up even more now.

Alexis Mac Allister is in trouble here.

It’s a pretty soft red card but probably one the league would do well to see called more consistently in hopes of getting late studs-up challenges out of the game? I guess?

Mac Allister goes in studs-up for sure and there’s no malice in his tackle on Ryan Christie, as both players went for a ball and the Argentine’s lunge digs into the former Celtic man’s shin.

How will Klopp adjust? Wataru Endu will come into the game, it appears, and probably for an attacker. Jota?

Liverpool is swarming but Neto is having a day, making a big save on Trent Alexander-Arnold after the Reds’ No. 66 cuts by a defender and snaps a left-footed shot from 12 yards.

The Cherries will be so happy to hear the halftime whistle and probably won’t be too upset with the score line.

Liverpool have held 71 percent possession and have a 1.82-0.17 expected goals advantage to go with a 14-3 landslide in shot attempts and seven corners.

Neto has faced 2.65 xG and has a penalty save to go with two others, though Salah potted the rebound off the pen.

Andoni Iraola’s men are in it, but Liverpool could still clearly run away with this, too, especially at Anfield.

All the goal videos have been added into the live blog posts, below.

Dominik Szoboszlai has the ball at the right corner of the 18 and takes a step inside with Joe Rothwell watching him.

Liverpool’s Hungarian midfielder cuts the ball back and Rothwell swings a leg. Szoboszlai feels contact and does his best star jump to win the penalty.

Neto is furious, earning a yellow card, and almost gets some dessert as he stops Mohamed Salah’s penalty.

The Egyptian, however, pots the rebound. It’s 2-1, Liverpool.

It’s 1-1 now!

Diogo Jota darts down the right side and into the 18, trying to find Luis Diaz with a pass toward the penalty spot.

Bournemouth gets a foot on it but Diaz keeps his cool when his first touch pops the ball into the air, leaping to snap the ball out of the air and past Neto for 1-1.

Quite a hit.

A frenetic opening stanza has settled down and that’s going to be fine for Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola.

The Cherries have the lead and are playing a bit of back-and-forth now, but it’s more measured and perhaps that’s down to Liverpool respecting the happenings of the first three minutes.

Cody Gakpo wins a foul central off of goal-scorer Semenyo. Robertson presides over a free kick and Liverpool’s men did not get the memo on where to meet the service.

Diogo Jota hits the deck when Liverpool sends the ball back into the box but the slight shirt pull looks only enough to take down a child and VAR is fine with it.

Ghana’s guy has got a goal, as Liverpool’s errors continue!

Virgil van Dijk sends a low ball central for Trent Alexander-Arnold, whose heavy touch is in the wrong part of the pitch and the criminally-underrated Philip Billing is ready to make TAA pay for his error.

Bournemouth’s center mid gets it forward and Van Dijk and Andy Robertson close down Dominic Solanke, but Antoine Semenyo pounces to fire the loose ball past Alisson and we’ve got two huge mistakes in the first three minutes for Jurgen Klopp’s men.

The Reds respond with a couple of chances the other way but Neto’s in control of the Bournemouth box.

A long ball leads to a big mistake from Alisson Becker, and Jaidon Anthony has the ball in the Liverpool goal.

Anthony had started his run too early, however, and Alisson is spared by the linesman’s flag and a VAR review.

Anfield exhales.

The Cherries have a few big injury issues as Andoni Iraola is without his main man in attack Dango Outtara.

Marcus Tavernier and Lewis Cook are still out, while new signing Alex Scott is still recovering from a knee injury.

Adam Smith could be back for this one and so too could Lloyd Kelly.

Jurgen Klopp only has a couple of injury issues to contend with as Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic have been battling back from hip injuries.

Diogo Jota took a hefty whack at Chelsea last weekend but shock it off to play some part in the second half.

It will be intriguing to see if Klopp starts with the same midfield three or if Curtis Jones or Harvey Elliott come in to his starting lineup.