Isak winner seals Liverpool victory at Bournemouth
Alexander Isak scored the winning goal as Liverpool beat Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. His strike decided their Premier League meeting on Sunday 20 September. Liverpool kept a clean sheet, which means Bournemouth did not score. BBC Sport
The game kicked off at 2pm. It came on Andoni Iraola's return to the Vitality Stadium. History was against the hosts. Bournemouth have lost 14 of their 18 Premier League games against Liverpool, with three wins and one draw, and all three of those wins have come at home. Liverpool FC
Gakpo made the difference. He ran down the right and delivered a dangerous cross for Isak to finish. BBC Sport gave Gakpo 7 out of 10 for his display. No Liverpool player needed a second invitation. One chance. One goal.
The defence did the rest. Jeremy Jacquet was Liverpool's highest-rated player with 8 out of 10. The 21-year-old started shakily with a naive early foul on Evanilson. He answered with strong tackles and calm play on the ball.
What makes this stand out is how quickly Jacquet has adapted. He wears Liverpool's number five shirt and arrived with a reputation for one-on-one battles. He has won 18 of his 25 duels in the Premier League this season, a success rate of 72%, with only James Tarkowski higher at 78.6%. A duel is a direct contest for the ball between two players.
Virgil van Dijk stood alongside him and earned 7 out of 10. Behind them, Alisson also earned 7 out of 10. He produced a great reaction save to deny Evanilson from a first-half flick, then stopped the Bournemouth forward again after the break. BBC Sport described the goalkeeper as integral to the clean sheet. His Liverpool contract expires next summer.
Bournemouth had moments. Evanilson was rated 6 out of 10 and twice tested Alisson. There were milestones in the home side too. Adam Smith made his 431st appearance for the club. James Hill made his 50th Premier League appearance. Both were rated 6 out of 10.
Liverpool freshened up after a goalless draw at Fulham. Milos Kerkez was one of three changes for that game. The starting line-up at Bournemouth included Alisson, Van Dijk, Jacquet, Kerkez, Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai and Isak, with Gakpo and Alexis Mac Allister also starting. Liverpool FC
For fans, this means a short trip home with something to replay. A winger's run. A striker's finish. A young defender growing through a match.
