Going into their trip to Bournemouth, Liverpool boasted the longest unbeaten run among teams in Europe’s top five leagues, hardly the profile of a side in crisis.
Yet as Amine Adli sprinted away in celebration after scoring Bournemouth’s dramatic 95th-minute winner, the uncomfortable truth about Liverpool’s season was laid bare. The cracks that had been papered over by a 13-game unbeaten sequence were suddenly impossible to ignore.
The reigning Premier League champions are now winless in their last five league matches, recording four draws and one defeat. Aside from a credible draw against Arsenal, those dropped points have come against Leeds, Burnley, Fulham and now Bournemouth, fixtures that once would have been routine victories.
This is no longer a Liverpool side opponents fear. The aura that carried them to last season’s title has faded, replaced by a team that defends erratically and looks predictable in attack.
“From Bournemouth’s point of view, they would have looked at Liverpool and thought, ‘Why can’t we beat them?’” said Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer. “Arne Slot’s side look miles off the team we saw last season.
“Liverpool don’t look right in any department. They’re making too many mistakes and they’re defensively weak, as we saw with the winning goal. They scored twice from set-pieces, but from open play they didn’t create nearly enough.”
Bournemouth, under Andoni Iraola, have endured a difficult campaign, ravaged by injuries and further weakened by the January departure of Antoine Semenyo to Manchester City. They entered the match with just one win in 14 games, yet ruthlessly exposed Liverpool’s vulnerabilities.
Virgil van Dijk’s error for Evanilson’s opener was entirely avoidable, even if Slot later cited the blustery conditions as a factor. More puzzling, however, was Liverpool’s decision-making leading up to Alex Jimenez’s goal. With Joe Gomez injured and Liverpool temporarily reduced to 10 men, Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff were visibly urging players to put the ball out of play so Wataru Endo could be introduced.
Instead, Liverpool attempted to play on, lost possession, and were punished.
“I tried to scream to the players to put the ball out,” Slot explained. “We were actually quite comfortable on the ball, but then when we lost it, it was the opposite.
“Maybe that sums up our season. Every time it’s something different, something special in how we concede. But the only ones to blame are ourselves.”
By the hour mark, Liverpool’s back line had been dismantled. Gomez was forced off injured, while Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong were withdrawn to protect their fitness. Slot later pointed to fatigue as a major factor.
“I think it’s fair to say some of our players ran out of energy,” he said. “I can’t even criticise them because two days ago we played an away game in Europe. We’re the only Champions League team with just two days between matches.”
While fixture congestion and injuries offer some mitigation, Liverpool were still able to call upon experienced reinforcements, including Wataru Endo, Andy Robertson, Curtis Jones and Hugo Ekitike. Depth alone cannot explain the recurring defensive lapses and late collapses.
The statistics paint a bleak picture. Liverpool have now conceded a stoppage-time winner three times in the Premier League this season, their most in a single campaign. They have dropped points five times after the 90th minute and conceded five league goals from throw-ins, more than any other team.
If Arsenal defeat Manchester United on Sunday, Liverpool will sit closer to the relegation zone than the summit of the Premier League, a damning indictment of a title defence that has unravelled alarmingly.
“Their realistic aim now has to be salvaging the season by qualifying for the Champions League,” Shearer added. “But even that represents a huge drop-off from last year.”
Liverpool were outstanding in midweek away in Marseille, but this encounter demanded a different kind of resilience, one Bournemouth showed in abundance. Despite surrendering a two-goal lead, Iraola’s side kept pushing, chased the winner, and fully deserved their dramatic late reward.
Liverpool’s Premier League title defence has been over for some time. This is still a squad capable of competing next season, but right now it lacks cohesion, identity, and belief. Above all, it has lost the fear factor that once made it one of Europe’s most formidable sides.
