Striker Alexander Isak scored the only goal of the game just before the hour mark to give Liverpool a 1-0 Premier League win away to AFC Bournemouth on Sunday, a victory that masked his side’s struggles in attack.
The Swede has netted four times in the league as Liverpool remain unbeaten going into the international break but once again their front players struggled to gel, despite being able to call on the attacking talents of Cody Gakpo, Florian Wirtz and Bradley Barcola.
Isak’s goal came about thanks to a Gakpo raid down the right but he was not the intended target; instead, the ball bobbled to him after Wirtz had been challenged by Bournemouth defender James Hill, and he slotted it home with a controlled finish in the 57th minute.
Other than that, there was little for Liverpool coach Andoni Iraola to celebrate on his return to Bournemouth after leaving them when his contract expired in June.
“It’s very important for us to get goals, Alexander Isak included. It was a good win here, a clean sheet and we go to the international break before bracing ourselves for a very intense period,” Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk said.
Barcola looked lively on the left and Gakpo was a willing foil on the opposite flank but Wirtz – for whom Liverpool paid a reputed £100 million ($134.64 million) last summer – put in another muted performance as the Reds managed a measly six efforts on goal in the game.
“Let’s all stay calm and keep working and not get ahead of ourselves. This was an important win at a difficult ground. We could have done a lot better but we come away with the three points and a clean sheet,” Van Dijk said.
