Liverpool manager Arne Slot attributed his side’s defeat to fatigue after Bournemouth’s Amine Adli struck a last-minute kick to seal a 3–2 win for the Cherries on Saturday.
Slot had steadied the ship in recent months following a run of nine defeats in 12 games earlier in the campaign for the English champions.
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However, the Reds have now failed to win any of their last five Premier League matches, dealing a significant blow to their hopes of securing Champions League qualification next season.
The visitors had staged a late comeback from 2–0 down, drawing level with 10 minutes remaining through goals from Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai.
“They probably had even more chances than us in the final 10 minutes, which shouldn’t come as a complete surprise to me, knowing that we played two days ago in Marseille,” Slot said.
“For the last four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, or 10 games we’ve had to play with the same players because of the limited options available. Sometimes you can see that a few of them are tired towards the end of the game, and I think that was clear today as well.”
Bournemouth’s second goal came while Liverpool were reduced to 10 men, with Joe Gomez forced off injured, further weakening Slot’s defensive options.
“I need all my players,” he added. “Robbo had to come in at half-time because I always knew another 90 minutes for Milos against a very intense Bournemouth side was not a possibility.
“There are a lot of games to play, and with the players available, I have to manage that carefully, because the last thing we need right now is another injury.”
