LAST UPDATE | 19 Aug 2023
JURGEN KLOPP SUGGESTED Liverpool will appeal against Alexis Mac Allister’s dismissal after his side came from behind to beat Bournemouth 3-1 at Anfield.
In a dramatic home opener, Liverpool needed goals from Luis Diaz, Mo Salah and Diogo Jota to respond to a third-minute strike from Antoine Semenyo, and played the final half an hour with 10 men after Mac Allister’s home debut was cut short in the 58th minute.
The World Cup winner was shown a straight red by referee Thomas Bramall after catching Ryan Christie with a high boot, but the decision looked harsh.
“I think the amount of times I was asked about it shows it’s worth discussing again, which we will probably do,” Klopp said. “I asked Macca and he said, ‘I touched him but not really’. That’s all he told me.
“After the game I saw it back. I think if you have a list of points, what we need to give a red card, besides contact there’s nothing else, no other boxes ticked.
“It’s a decision we all agree if he gives a yellow card VAR would not overturn it and if he gives a red card VAR will not overturn it because contact means it’s not a clear and obvious mistake.
“But now the punishment, 40 minutes with 10 men is already punishment enough. But let’s see, we have to talk to the authorities.”
Liverpool were leading 2-1 when Mac Allister was sent off, but far from retreating, they seemed fired up by the sense of injustice, with Joto scoring the third four minutes later.
That all came after a torrid start from Klopp’s side. A bright and energetic Bournemouth side had already seen a Jaidon Anthony goal ruled out for offside following a defensive mix-up when Semenyo punished more lax play by drilling in the opening goal after only three minutes.
Liverpool soon had another scare with goalkeeper Alisson felling Anthony on the edge of the box after misplacing a pass, his punishment limited to a yellow card with Ibrahima Konate covering.
“The start of the game was obviously not how we wanted it,” Klopp said. “We conceded the first goal after a minute and then it was offside so you think that’s the wake-up call we needed.
“Then we concede another goal two minutes later and then there’s a yellow card for our goalie so it’s not what you need but you are working with human beings so you have to figure it out.”
An improvised finish from Diaz levelled it, and Liverpool led after Salah tucked in the rebound from his own missed penalty in the 36th minute, his 187th Liverpool goal taking him to fifth all-time above Steven Gerrard.
The spot-kick was awarded when summer signing Dominik Szoboszlai made the most of a dangling leg from Joe Rothwell to go down in the box.
It looked soft, and came after Bournemouth had a penalty shout of their own when, with the score still 1-0 to the visitors, former Liverpool striker Dominic Solanke went down when sandwiched by Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson.
Elsewhere in the Premier League today, Nathan Collins helped Brentford earn a clean sheet as they beat Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage, with manager Marco Silva confirming Aleksandar Mitrovic will be leaving after a deal was agreed with Al Hilal.
Yoane Wissa’s first-half strike coupled with a Bryan Mbeumo double was enough for Thomas Frank’s men, and matters were compounded for Silva when he learned last season’s top scorer was set for move to Saudi Arabia.
The Serbian striker was absent from the squad ahead of his move to the Saudi Pro League and was replaced by summer signing Raul Jimenez, who drew a second straight blank when leading the line.
Silva mentioned Mitrovic forced his way out of the club after it was reported in July the 28-year-old said he would never play for the west London side again if an agreement was not found.
“He is on the way to leave the club,” Silva said.
“I got information from the club after the match, both clubs have got an agreement and now it’s the moment where it is the finish of Mitrovic in our club.
“As you know he forced everything to leave the club, he wanted to leave the club and until the moment that the the board found a financial agreement we kept him at our football club but at the end they reached an agreement and now for us we keep playing without him.
“Football players are human as well, the situation with the market – sometimes they are thinking about other stuff because it was not just Mitrovic in our club (who had interest from other teams) during the last three or four weeks.
“I will talk to him tomorrow and in two days’ time because our relationship is there forever.”
Meanwhile, Evan Ferguson came off the bench for the final 23 minutes as Brighton beat Wolves 4-1, while Matt Doherty and Joe Hodge were unused subs for the hosts.
Kaoru Mitoma’s superb solo effort and Solly March’s second-half double helped lift Brighton top of the Premier League table.
Japan midfielder Mitoma’s mesmeric run and finish gave Brighton a slender half-time lead before Roberto De Zerbi’s side put Wolves to the sword with three goals in nine minutes at the start of the second half.
Pervis Estupinan doubled Brighton’s lead within 60 seconds of the restart and two carbon-copy goals from March, both assisted by teenage forward Julio Enciso, sealed the Seagulls’ second-straight win.
Wolves responded through substitute Hwang Hee-chan’s header just after the hour mark, but it was mere consolation for Gary O’Neil’s side, who were emphatically punished for missed first-half chances and lost Matheus Nunes to a late red card.
