BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) - Liverpool collapsed to a 4-3 loss at Bournemouth after conceding three goals in final 20 minutes of an English Premier League thriller on Sunday.
Nathan Ake pounced on a fumble by goalkeeper Loris Karius to grab the winner in the third minute of injury time, handing title-chasing Liverpool its first loss since Aug. 20 and dropping Juergen Klopp’s team four points behind first-place Chelsea.
Liverpool was 3-1 up by the 64th after goals by Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Emre Can, but conceded in the 76th minute to substitute Ryan Fraser and in the 78th to Steve Cook. It was Cook’s shot that Karius spilled to allow Ake - and Chelsea loanee - to score.
“We opened the door,” Klopp said, “and they ran through and scored some wonderful goals. So that’s the deserved result.”
Liverpool’s late unravelling reignited concerns about its defense, which was missing injured center back Joel Matip, and the debate over whether Karius is an upgrade on the goalkeeper he recently replaced, Simon Mignolet.
“If we learn, it’s OK,” Klopp said. “At 2-0 or 3-1, the game is not decided but the way we played after we gave it away. We gave Bournemouth the ball.”
It was possibly Bournemouth’s most memorable win since getting promoted to the Premier League last year.
“It shows we have still got that spirit from when we were promoted from the Championship,” Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe said.
Mane gave Liverpool the lead in the 20th by running onto Can’s through ball and prodding a finish past goalkeeper Artur Boruc. Origi made it 2-0 in style two minutes later, rounding Boruc after being played through by Jordan Henderson and finishing from an acute angle.
Callum Wilson converted a penalty in the 56th after Fraser was brought down in the box by James Milner, only for Can to restore Liverpool’s two-goal cushion by meeting Mane’s cutback with a neat finish from the edge of the area.
The game looked over, but Bournemouth launched an incredible fightback.
“In the second half, we looked like scoring every time we attacked,” Howe said. “For this club and everyone involved, it’s made for a very special day.
“These days are huge for us. We’d never been in the Premier League until last season so we’re making history for the club.”
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