Liverpool 3-1 Bournemouth: Jurgen Klopp’s Reds get their first win of the season thanks to goals from Luis Diaz, Mo Salah and Diogo Jota… but Alexis Mac Allister is controversially SENT OFF on an Anfield debut to forget

Sometimes Liverpool attacked like the formidable unit who beat Bournemouth 9-0 in this game a year ago. At other times they looked like a pub team that had never played together before. If Jürgen Klopp likes the phrase ‘organized chaos’ then this was simpler just chaos.

A goal down after just three minutes, they survived a number of other scares after a mixture of disjointed and disastrous defense and strangely never really settled into the game until Alexis Mac Allister was shown a straight red card in the second half.

Seconds after that decision, they were leading 3-1 and the game was out of sight for Bournemouth. If the Cherries had a little more about them on both sides at the start, they could have punished Liverpool and this would have been a different story.

All of Liverpool’s front three in Luis Diaz, Mo Salah and Diogo Jota scored in what was a convincing offensive display, but questions remain about their defensive credibility after another sloppy performance, with gaps all over their back-line.

So while Klopp leaves with more questions than answers in the defensive department, one thing is certain on a two-game basis: Liverpool’s fixtures this season will be an enjoyable, end-to-end viewing for neutrals.

They had a lucky escape after just two minutes as Alisson and Trent Alexander-Arnold combined to create an almighty confusion in their own penalty area, allowing Jaidon Anthony to roll the ball into an empty net, only to be withdrawn for an earlier offside.

Bournemouth fans’ premature celebration had barely stopped when their team then punished Liverpool’s sloppy play and scored again. This time there was no offside flag to save Alexander-Arnold, who was robbed of possession after a bad pass from Virgil Van Dijk.

Former Liverpool player Dominic Solanke grabbed the ball in the penalty area after which Antoine Semenyo finished past a helpless Alisson with a fine finish. A minute later, the goalkeeper was booked for a heavy touch and a foul on Anthony. It summed up a sloppy start.

There was a heartwarming moment after 26 minutes when all four corners of the ground rose to their feet to applaud for a minute in memory of Michael Jones, the 26-year-old Everton fan who tragically lost his life in an incident in Bramley Moore Dock on Monday.

And Anfield held their own as the minute ended with Diaz putting Liverpool back level, having finally gained a foothold in the game. Jota made a decisive dart into the Bournemouth box and squared for Diaz, who scored with an acrobatic finish.

They took the lead eight minutes later, after Dominik Szoboszlai was allegedly fouled by Joe Rothwell in the penalty area. It was a hard decision, but Salah didn’t care and stepped up to take it. His shot was well saved by Neto, but the Egyptian shot in on the rebound.

Liverpool settled down somewhat in the second half, but were rocked just before the hour mark when World Cup winner Mac Allister received a straight red card from referee Thomas Bramall for a high foot on Ryan Christie. As with the penalty decision, an exclusion was the wrong decision.

A wave of fear spread across Anfield, with questions about whether Andoni Iraola’s Cherries side would make a late push for an equaliser, but it was Liverpool who, bizarrely, seemed to benefit as Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo made his debut.

Klopp’s men doubled their lead minutes after the Argentine’s dismissal, as Jota found space in the box and scored past Neto to make it 3-1. The Portuguese striker had a quiet afternoon at Chelsea last week, but this was a great performance.

That said, however, Jota could have added another minute after his goal, and Salah and Szoboszlai also had sight on goal. After one of the worst first 15 minutes of the Klopp era, his team could have won by five or six goals. It summed up a strange game.

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