Liverpool v Bournemouth
Liverpool 1
Benteke 26′
Bournemouth 0
FT 90 +5
HT 1-0
Christian Benteke became Liverpool’s second most expensive signing when he signed from Aston Villa for £32.5m
17 August 2015
Last updated at
22:22
By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at Anfield
Christian Benteke’s controversial winner on his Anfield debut ensured Liverpool maintained their 100% start to the new season with an unconvincing victory over Premier League newcomers Bournemouth.
Liverpool’s £32.5m summer signing from Aston Villa turned home from close range in front of the Kop after 26 minutes – but Philippe Coutinho was clearly offside as he also tried to reach Jordan Henderson’s cross.
It meant a second successive narrow defeat for Bournemouth, who showed plenty of confidence and promise and were also frustrated when Tommy Elphick’s early header was ruled out by referee Craig Pawson for a foul on Dejan Lovren.
Relive all the action from Anfield as it happened
Eddie Howe’s side had plenty of possession but rarely troubled Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and it was Benteke who came closest to adding a second on his impressive Anfield bow when he struck the bar from close range in the last minute.
It was a case of job done for Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers in front of watching owner John W Henry with a second win and second clean sheet of the new season.
Big man Benteke delivers
Benteke was Liverpool’s biggest summer investment and Rodgers needs him to deliver – and fast – to ease the pain of last season.
And the early signs were very promising, not just with his winning goal, but also his all-round play.
Christian Benteke scored 49 goals in 101 games for Aston Villa after signing from Genk for £7m in 2012
The giant Belgian showed his power in the air on several occasions, demonstrating a physical presence that will give a Reds side with a possession-heavy game an added dimension.
Benteke also showed good team awareness and pace on several occasions, his link with Coutinho looked like it could be highly productive as the season progresses.
Bournemouth can take heart
It has been a hard landing for Bournemouth in the Premier League with defeats by Aston Villa and now Liverpool, but there is plenty for Howe to take away from this visit to one of the biggest stages in English football.
The Cherries may need to solve a lack of goals in coming months but they were not daunted by Liverpool or the Kop and played with a confident passing style that will certainly not look out of place in the top flight.
It will be a tough season for Bournemouth and that early table does not look good, but on this evidence there is not the slightest reason for despondency for Howe and his players other than in the pain of another defeat. They were excellent for long spells.
New rule same old problems
The offside rule has been tweaked to supposedly clear up the grey area of when a player is interfering with play only for Bournemouth to find themselves the victim of a situation this was meant to avoid when Benteke scored Liverpool’s winner.
The new rule states “a player in an offside position shall be penalised if he clearly attempts to play a ball which is close to him when this action impacts on an opponent or makes an obvious action which clearly impacts on the ability of an opponent to play the ball.”
A very offside Coutinho was clearly trying to play the ball when he stretched to Henderson’s cross, just failing but then seeing the ball fall for Benteke to turn in.
The goal was still given and Bournemouth were left nursing a heavy sense of injustice.
Man of the Match – Christian Benteke (Liverpool)
Liverpool’s new £32.5m striker made pretty much the perfect start, scoring the winner and only being denied a second by the woodwork in the closing moments
Manager reaction
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers, speaking to BBC Sport: “I haven’t seen their disallowed goal or ours and the most important thing is ours stood.
“We said it would be a tough game. Defensively we were very good. Our play was better after the goal, I am very pleased.
“Christian Benteke is bedding into a new team but you could see his threat. I’m very pleased for the players, six points, two clean sheets and the team will grow.”
Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe, speaking to BBC Sport: “It is tough to take but we have to. We are learning tough lessons, the margins for success are small. It will be character building.
“I didn’t say a lot to the officials. They have a hard job but I will speak to then privately. I want feedback on the decisions.
“We had a few chances but the big positive is overall our performance. We know if we perform like that the results and goals will come. The players are winners and this is an experience we don’t want to get used to.”
The stats you need to know
Liverpool remain unbeaten in all competitions against Bournemouth (W5 D2).
Since his Liverpool debut in the Premier League, only Steven Gerrard (25) has more Premier League assists for Liverpool than Jordan Henderson (22).
Henderson has 10 assists in the Premier League since the start of last season; more than any other English player.
Christian Benteke’s goal in this game was his 50th in English club football (all comps).
Benteke has now scored 12 goals in his last 13 Premier League appearances.
This is the sixth time in Premier League history that Liverpool have won their opening two games of the season.
Liverpool have now won four successive Premier League games played on a Monday.
Simon Mignolet has kept more clean sheets than any other Premier League goalkeeper in 2015.
Up next
It’s been a good start for Liverpool – results wise – but they face their first big test of the season next Monday when they travel to Arsenal, where they lost 4-1 in April.
For Bournemouth it’s a trip to the capital on Saturday where they will seek their first points of the season at West Ham United.
Social media reaction
Lineup, Bookings (5) & Substitutions (6)
Liverpool
22 Mignolet
02 Clyne
37 Skrtel
06 Lovren
12 Gomez Booked
07 Milner
14 Henderson (Can – 52′ )
10 Coutinho (Moreno – 81′ )
20 Lallana
33 Ibe (Firmino – 70′ )
09 Benteke
Substitutes
04 K Touré
11 Firmino
18 Moreno
23 Can
27 Origi
28 Ings
34 Bogdan
AFC Bournemouth
01 Boruc
02 Francis
05 Elphick
03 Cook Booked
11 Daniels
30 Ritchie Booked
32 O’Kane Booked (Gosling – 87′ )
06 Surman
10 Gradel (Smith – 81′ )
13 Wilson
17 King (Tomlin – 61′ Booked )
Substitutes
04 Gosling
07 Pugh
14 Mings
15 Smith
23 Federici
24 Tomlin
25 Distin
Ref: Craig Pawson
Att: 44,102
Match Stats
Possession
55 45
Shots
18 13
On target
2 2
Corners
6 8
Fouls
11 18
Live Text Commentary
Full time
Full Time Match ends, Liverpool 1, Bournemouth 0.
90:00 +4:42 Full time
Full Time Second Half ends, Liverpool 1, Bournemouth 0.
90:00 +4:00
Alberto Moreno (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
90:00 +4:00
Foul by Tommy Elphick (Bournemouth).
90:00 +1:56
Attempt missed. James Milner (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Emre Can following a set piece situation.
90:00 +0:46 Booking
Booking Steve Cook (Bournemouth) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
90:00 +0:44
Alberto Moreno (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
90:00 +0:44
Foul by Steve Cook (Bournemouth).
89:33
Attempt missed. Adam Lallana (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is too high.
89:31
Attempt saved. Christian Benteke (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Nathaniel Clyne with a cross.
87:41
Attempt missed. Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box misses to the left.
87:01
Attempt saved. Lee Tomlin (Bournemouth) header from the right side of the box is saved in the top right corner. Assisted by Simon Francis with a headed pass.
86:39 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Bournemouth. Dan Gosling replaces Eunan O’Kane.
85:04
Attempt missed. Lee Tomlin (Bournemouth) with an attempt from the centre of the box is just a bit too high. Assisted by Matt Ritchie with a cross following a corner.
84:33
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Dejan Lovren.
84:31
Attempt blocked. Lee Tomlin (Bournemouth) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Adam Smith.
83:13
Attempt blocked. Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Andrew Surman with a headed pass.
82:09
Foul by Joseph Gomez (Liverpool).
82:09
Adam Smith (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
80:58 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Liverpool. Alberto Moreno replaces Philippe Coutinho.
80:15 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Bournemouth. Adam Smith replaces Max Gradel.
79:47
Attempt missed. Steve Cook (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Max Gradel with a cross following a corner.
79:33
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Martin Skrtel.
78:12
Emre Can (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
78:12
Foul by Callum Wilson (Bournemouth).
76:53 Booking
Booking Lee Tomlin (Bournemouth) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
76:49
Adam Lallana (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
76:49
Foul by Lee Tomlin (Bournemouth).
75:10 Booking
Booking Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
75:08
Emre Can (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
75:08
Foul by Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth).
74:31 Booking
Booking Joseph Gomez (Liverpool) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
74:07
Foul by Joseph Gomez (Liverpool).
74:07
Lee Tomlin (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the right wing.
73:03
Attempt blocked. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Christian Benteke.
72:33
Foul by Adam Lallana (Liverpool).
72:33
Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the right wing.
71:11
Attempt blocked. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked.
69:42 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Liverpool. Roberto Firmino replaces Jordon Ibe.
69:12
Attempt missed. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) left footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Christian Benteke.
67:48
Attempt blocked. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
66:40
Hand ball by Andrew Surman (Bournemouth).
64:50
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Dejan Lovren.
64:47
Attempt blocked. Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Max Gradel.
62:33
Attempt missed. Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is close, but misses to the right. Assisted by Callum Wilson.
62:16
Attempt blocked. Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Eunan O’Kane.
60:05 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Bournemouth. Lee Tomlin replaces Joshua King.
59:26
Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth) hits the right post with a left footed shot from the right side of the box. Assisted by Joshua King.
58:45
Offside, Liverpool. Dejan Lovren tries a through ball, but Nathaniel Clyne is caught offside.
56:23
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Simon Mignolet.
54:02
Attempt missed. James Milner (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Jordon Ibe.
52:04
Foul by Emre Can (Liverpool).
52:04
Max Gradel (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
51:33 Substitution
Substitution Substitution, Liverpool. Emre Can replaces Jordan Henderson because of an injury.
50:50
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Steve Cook.
50:47
Attempt blocked. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
50:09
Attempt missed. Jordon Ibe (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Adam Lallana.
49:16
Attempt blocked. Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Matt Ritchie.
48:23
Attempt missed. Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth) left footed shot from the right side of the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Callum Wilson.
48:08
Foul by Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool).
48:08
Charlie Daniels (Bournemouth) wins a free kick on the left wing.
47:08
James Milner (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
47:08
Foul by Callum Wilson (Bournemouth).
46:55
Attempt saved. Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Eunan O’Kane.
45:00
Second Half begins Liverpool 1, Bournemouth 0.
45:00 +1:03 Half time
Half Time First Half ends, Liverpool 1, Bournemouth 0.
45:00 +0:21
Foul by Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool).
45:00 +0:21
Charlie Daniels (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
43:24
Attempt missed. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) left footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left.
43:16
Attempt missed. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the left. Assisted by Christian Benteke with a headed pass.
41:15
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Steve Cook.
39:59
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
39:59
Foul by Charlie Daniels (Bournemouth).
38:14
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
38:14
Foul by Tommy Elphick (Bournemouth).
36:56
Foul by James Milner (Liverpool).
36:56
Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
35:52
Adam Lallana (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
35:52
Foul by Andrew Surman (Bournemouth).
33:47 Booking
Booking Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
33:46
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
33:46
Foul by Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth).
32:25
Christian Benteke (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
32:25
Foul by Charlie Daniels (Bournemouth).
31:33
Foul by Adam Lallana (Liverpool).
31:33
Andrew Surman (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
30:51
Foul by Martin Skrtel (Liverpool).
30:51
Steve Cook (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
30:16
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Eunan O’Kane.
30:14
Attempt blocked. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Christian Benteke.
28:27
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) hits the bar with a right footed shot from outside the box. Assisted by James Milner following a set piece situation.
27:45
Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the right wing.
27:45
Foul by Max Gradel (Bournemouth).
27:22
James Milner (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
27:22
Foul by Joshua King (Bournemouth).
25:49 Goal scored
Goal! Goal! Liverpool 1, Bournemouth 0. Christian Benteke (Liverpool) right footed shot from very close range to the top right corner. Assisted by Jordan Henderson with a cross following a corner.
25:10
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Simon Francis.
23:28
Attempt missed. Christian Benteke (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right.
22:44
Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
22:44
Foul by Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool).
21:52
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Matt Ritchie.
16:19
Foul by Callum Wilson (Bournemouth).
16:19
Dejan Lovren (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
11:56
Attempt missed. Joshua King (Bournemouth) header from the centre of the box is too high. Assisted by Max Gradel with a cross following a corner.
11:28
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Martin Skrtel.
9:15
Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
9:15
Foul by Christian Benteke (Liverpool).
6:48
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Martin Skrtel.
5:48
Jordan Henderson (Liverpool) wins a free kick on the left wing.
5:48
Foul by Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth).
4:46
Dejan Lovren (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
4:46
Foul by Tommy Elphick (Bournemouth).
4:21
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Dejan Lovren.
3:33
Attempt missed. Jordon Ibe (Liverpool) right footed shot from outside the box misses to the right. Assisted by Martin Skrtel following a corner.
3:03
Corner, Liverpool. Conceded by Charlie Daniels.
2:32
Foul by Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth).
2:32
Nathaniel Clyne (Liverpool) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
1:52
Corner, Bournemouth. Conceded by Martin Skrtel.
0:00
First Half begins.
0:00
Lineups are announced and players are warming up.
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