Liverpool win at Bournemouth as Isak and Gakpo click again
Liverpool beat Bournemouth in the Premier League at Vitality Stadium on Sunday 20 September to take three points and return to winning ways.
It was Andoni Iraola's return to his former club as Liverpool manager. The match kicked off at 14:00 and was shown on Sky Sports.
Alexander Isak scored Liverpool's goal with a simple finish, The Guardian reported. Cody Gakpo made it. It was the fourth time this season that Gakpo has supplied a goal for Isak.
That link is fast becoming Liverpool's story of the autumn. Their first league win under Iraola was a 2-0 triumph over Ipswich Town, secured by Isak's early brace, Premier League records show. Gakpo laid on both of those goals as well.
Liverpool made three changes from their previous draw with Fulham. Milos Kerkez replaced Kostas Tsimikas at left-back. Cody Gakpo, Kerkez and Alexis Mac Allister all came back into the starting XI, Liverpool FC confirmed, with Ryan Gravenberch and Victor Munoz among the players to drop out.
Bournemouth pushed hard. Alisson kept Liverpool level with a strong right-hand save to stop Evanilson's flick at the near post from going in. At the other end Djordje Petrovic stood firm. He blocked a deflected effort from Bradley Barcola with his legs.
The second half had edge. Dominik Szoboszlai was booked early after a foul on Alex Scott. Liverpool held their shape from there.
There was plenty of history on the touchlines. Marco Rose has succeeded Iraola as Bournemouth manager. Coach Tommy Elphick followed Iraola from Bournemouth to Liverpool. Tiago Pinto is Bournemouth's sporting director.
The record favoured the visitors. Ahead of the game, Bournemouth had lost 14 of 18 Premier League meetings with Liverpool, with three wins and one draw, according to BBC Sport. One of those rare home wins came on 11 March 2023, when Bournemouth won 1-0 and Mohamed Salah missed a second-half penalty.
What makes this stand out is the simplicity of it. Gakpo finds Isak. Isak finishes. Four goals, four assists, one understanding. For fans, this means Liverpool have something they can count on while the new manager's ideas take hold.
