Liverpool’s Loss at Bournemouth Exposed Problems Numbers Can No Longer Hide
Bournemouth’s xG dominance and set-piece threat explain a Premier League defeat that Liverpool’s passing numbers could not disguise
Liverpool’s 3–2 defeat away at Bournemouth will be filed by some as a frustrating anomaly, a bad night wrapped in wind, rain, and a congested Premier League schedule. That explanation is comfortable, but it is also incomplete. When the numbers are laid bare and the tactical picture is examined without sentiment, this match begins to look less like misfortune and more like a warning sign.
Liverpool dominated possession, territory, and passing volume. They still lost. That is not a contradiction; it is the story.
This was a game Liverpool largely controlled on the ball, yet repeatedly failed to control without it, particularly in decisive moments. Bournemouth were not required to be subtle. They needed only to be direct, brave, and organised enough to wait for Liverpool to make mistakes. Those mistakes arrived, predictably, in familiar areas.
