Bournemouth 3–2 Liverpool: Adli’s Late Strike Extends Reds’ 2026 League Wait

AFC Bournemouth produced a dramatic late twist to beat Liverpool 3–2 at the Vitality Stadium, with Amine Adli’s stoppage-time strike sealing a vital victory and extending the champions’ wait for a Premier League win in 2026.

Liverpool arrived on the south coast on the back of a 3–0 Champions League victory over Marseille, while Bournemouth were seeking to build on a draw at Brighton and arrest a difficult run of form.

The hosts struck first after 27 minutes. Alex Scott beat Virgil van Dijk down the left and pulled the ball back from the byline, allowing Evanilson to finish from close range for his third goal in four matches.

Defensive uncertainty soon spread through the Liverpool back line. Joe Gomez, injured in the build-up to the opener, attempted to continue but was clearly struggling. With treatment delayed, Bournemouth capitalised.

Six minutes later, Raúl Jiménez escaped the attention of former team-mate Milos Kerkez on the right and raced onto a low pass from James Hill, sliding his finish under Alisson Becker into the bottom-left corner for his first Premier League goal.

Gomez was eventually replaced by Wataru Endo on 35 minutes, seven minutes after the initial injury, but the damage had already been done.

Liverpool pulled one back just before the interval. Dominik Szoboszlai delivered a corner and Van Dijk rose at the near post to head past Djordje Petrović, reducing the deficit after his earlier involvement in the opener.

Bournemouth went into half-time leading 2–1, while Liverpool faced growing concerns at the back.

With Ibrahima Konaté absent and Gomez forced off, Arne Slot was left with an improvised central partnership of Van Dijk and Endo. Further disruption followed when Jeremie Frimpong was withdrawn for Hugo Ekitike, pushing Szoboszlai into right-back.

Despite the reshuffle, Liverpool grew into the second half and began to apply pressure as Bournemouth defended deep.

The equaliser arrived in the 80th minute. From a free-kick 25 yards out, Mohamed Salah’s clever back-heel found Szoboszlai, who curled his effort around the wall and into the bottom-right corner.

It marked Salah’s 13th goal involvement against Bournemouth.

Another draw then appeared likely. Instead, the contest turned once more in stoppage time.

Bournemouth forced a scramble inside the penalty area and, after Alisson saved Adli’s initial effort, the forward reacted quickest to score at the second attempt, sending the home supporters into celebration.

The late winner secured a much-needed victory for Bournemouth, who had won only once in their previous 15 matches.

The Cherries have now lost just one of their last 31 league games when leading at half-time. The result lifts them to 13th in the table and continues their impressive home form.

For Liverpool, the defeat represents another setback in a frustrating league campaign. They have now gone five Premier League matches without a win and remain winless in 2026. While still fourth, their position is under increasing pressure, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Brentford all capable of overtaking the reigning champions by Sunday.

Despite recovering from two goals down, defensive instability and missed opportunities once again proved costly, as Liverpool’s struggle for consistency in the Premier League continues.