Bournemouth won the toss at Anfield and cheekily asked Liverpool to attack the Kop in the first half, though that was just about all they won for the rest of the evening, apart from a few more admirers. That seems, and was, scant reward after matching the home side in most departments but the Championship winners know the score in the Premier League. It remains nil, for all the kind words.
Unquestionably Bournemouth have the right attitude. They were never cautious or negative here, not in the least overawed by their opponents or their surroundings, and, just as Eddie Howe has promised, they played their normal attacking game. All the visitors lacked was the final touch that can make the difference. Class, composure, quality, call it what you will, but it comes only with experience.
When Callum Wilson whisked the ball round a bemused Dejan Lovren the danger was clear but he could not release his cross in time, allowing the defender to recover. From the resulting corner Tommy Elphick had the ball in the net, only to be recalled for a foul on Lovren. It was not much of a foul, Elphick just seemed to be the more determined to win the ball, but he had his hands on the defender’s shoulders and that was enough to rule out what would have been the Cherries’ first Premier League goal.
Instead, midway through the first half, Bournemouth ended up as unwilling participants in Christian Benteke’s first goal for Liverpool. Their marking was less than ideal when Jordan Henderson whipped in a cross from the left, and Benteke, with the ball at an awkward height, supplied the sort of deft finish one would expect of a £32m striker.
Even so Bournemouth were a little unlucky, for Philippe Coutinho, clearly in an offside position when the cross came in, turned and tried to reach the ball and must have distracted Artur Boruc as he was right in front of goal. The offside rule was tweaked over summer to penalise that sort of thing. It is no longer the case that the ball must be touched for a flag to be raised, so strictly speaking Liverpool’s goal could have been chalked off too.
That is the sort of luck that often comes your way when you are new to the division and still looking for a first win. Liverpool bossed the rest of the first half and Bournemouth will have to be careful that does not turn out to be the story of their season.
While Liverpool were not that great either in the second half, they soaked up Bournemouth’s pressure comfortably enough and then sent on Roberto Firmino, the Brazil forward and summer £29m signing from Hoffenheim. Such is Premier League life.
They were probably not expecting too much from this fixture anyway. After West Ham at the weekend they have a run of more winnable games, if Leicester can still be included in that category.
If they can keep up this level of performance it will surely not be too long before their results improve but Howe and his players have heard that patronising tone too often already. What they need is points.
