The Reds were reduced to 10 men after just 57 minutes but claimed three precious points thanks in no small part to their new Hungarian midfielder
Liverpool picked up their first win of the season on Saturday afternoon, beating Bournemouth 3-1 at Anfield despite seeing Alexis Mac Allister sent off just before the hour mark.
The Reds started the game horrifically and were deservedly punished for their sloppiness – which was personified by Trent Alexander-Arnold – when Antoine Semenyo drilled the ball past Alisson after the hosts had lost possession in their own half.
Liverpool drew level thanks to a moment of magic from Luis Diaz before taking the lead when Mohamed Salah made amends for missing a penalty by converting the rebound.
Mac Allister then saw a straight red for clattering into Ryan Christie – much to the shock of the summer signing, who clearly felt that the foul was more deserving of a yellow – but Liverpool responded admirably to being reduced to 10 men, with Diogo Jota sealing a vital victory with a tap-in.
Below, GOAL rates all of the Reds on show on a dramatic afternoon at Anfield…
GettyGoalkeeper & Defence
Alisson Becker (6/10):
All over the place in the opening quarter, during which he got himself booked for a wild lunge on Jaidon Anthony after losing possession outside his penalty area, but made some crucial stops in the second half to keep Bournemouth at bay.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (3/10):
Recovered well from his dreadful start, even going close to scoring, but the errors he made early on were atrocious. He got away with the first – when he unintentionally diverted a long ball past Alisson and towards an open goal – thanks to a marginal offside call but he was punished by Semenyo for losing the ball carelessly in the middle of the park.
Ibrahima Konate (6/10):
Like nearly everyone else in the Liverpool backline, was horribly shaky early on, missing tackles that he really should have made. But he did improve the longer the game wore on and played his part in Klopp's teams seeing it out.
Virgil van Dijk (6/10):
Nowhere near as culpable as some of his team-mates for Liverpool's poor start but he has to take his share of the blame for Bournemouth's opener, given he put Alexander-Arnold under serious pressure with his pass. The captain defended well thereafter, though, and was unlucky not to get a goal, with his fine header coming back off the bar.
Andy Robertson (5/10):
Still seems to be struggling with the extra responsibility placed upon his shoulders because of the use of Alexander-Arnold as an auxiliary midfielder. He just doesn't look comfortable as a left-sided centre-back – which is effectively what he's asked to be with his fellow full-back further forward – and it seriously restricts his offensive contribution.
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Dominik Szoboszlai (8/10):
One of the few players to shine at Stamford Bridge – and performed even more impressively here, winning the penalty with a neat turn – and embarrassingly exaggerated fall – just inside the area. The Hungarian was involved in nearly all of Liverpool's best attacks and he also took the shot which led to Jota making it 3-1. A seriously exciting talent on the ball, Szoboszlai looks set to become a star at Anfield.
Alexis Mac Allister (4/10):
Once again struggled in a central defensive midfield role that he's unlikely to be asked to play again, given Liverpool's reinforcements will be bedded in by the time he returns from suspension. The red card itself was harsh – there was zero malice in the challenge and it didn't constitute serious foul play – but he only had himself to blame for mistiming his tackle so badly.
Cody Gakpo (5/10):
Showed the odd flash of what he can do when he got the chance to break forward from deep but the midfield role is just not working for him – or Liverpool. With Endo now on board, it should be ditched soon, allowing Gakpo to start challenging Jota for the No.9 role again.
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Mohamed Salah (6/10):
A ninth goal in nine appearances against Bournemouth but Salah was desperately fortunate to find the back of the net here, with the ball falling so nicely for him after seeing his spot-kick saved by Neto. Also squandered some great chances from open play – just has he did at Chelsea the week before – and was too selfish in possession at times.
Diogo Jota (8/10):
Took the wrong option a few times early on but teed up Luis Diaz for the crucial equaliser before getting on the scoresheet himself after being first to react to Neto failing to hold Szoboszlai's deflected effort. Got a real shot of making the centre-forward role his own because of his pressing, striker's instincts and mobility.
Luis Diaz (8/10):
Caught in possession a couple of times early on but Liverpool's livewire turned the game in his side's favour with an outrageous piece of skill, with the crafty Colombian teeing the ball up for himself before volleying home. He really is a great game-changer.
Getty Subs & Manager
Wataru Endo (6/10):
Brought on soon after Mac Allister's dismissal and made an encouraging debut, only misplacing one pass.
Joe Gomez (5/10):
Introduced in place of a hobbling Alexander-Arnold with 15 minutes to go.
Harvey Elliott (5/10):
Replaced Jota in the closing stages and butchered one break with a poor pass but worked tirelessly for the 10-man Reds.
Konstantinos Tsimikas (N/A):
Only came on with five minutes to go.
Darwin Nunez (N/A):
Not given anything like enough time to stake his claim for a starting spot.
Jurgen Klopp (6/10):
Clearly red the riot act at half-time because Liverpool were far better after the interval – both before and after Mac Allister's dismissal. But the Gakpo midfield experiment needs to be immediately ditched now that Endo is on board.
