Liverpool player ratings vs Bournemouth — Ekitike masterclass as 2/10 teammate dreadful
Hugo Ekitike shone as Liverpool beat Bournemouth 4-2 in the Premier League on Friday.
Arne Slot’s team welcomed the Cherries to Anfield on 15 August, with both teams having an opportunity to go ahead in the first half.
Anthony Taylor and the VAR dismissed Marco Sanesi’s apparent handball in the 13th minute, but the former Eintracht Frankfurt striker was on hand to give the Reds the lead before the break.
The 23-year-old striker put in a masterclass of a performance on his Premier League debut, giving the Anfield faithful a lot to look forward to.
Ektike shines as Liverpool number nine vs Bournemouth
Ekitike scored on his competitive Anfield debut, starting his career in L4 on the front foot.
The French centre-forward’s hold-up play and powerful runs in the final third made a difference against Andoni Iraola’s team.
Caody Gakpo subsequently doubled the lead at Anfield just after half-time, putting the Merseyside outfit in the driving seat for the rest of the game.
Ibrahima Konate looked shaky at Anfield
Ibrahima Konate may be distracted at Anfield due to his ongoing contract negotiations with the Reds.
The French centre-back didn’t look like himself throughout the fixture and made some glaring errors with his passing and other defensive duties.
Antoine Semenyo gave Liverpool a scare after scoring at the hour mark, and in the build-up to the goal, the 26-year-old defender was unable to stop David Brooks from playing the ball into the box.
The Ghana international then thought he had equalised for the visitors, but Federico Chiesa had other ideas, scoring the winner in the 88th minute, and Mohamed Salah also opened his account for the season in the final minutes of the game.
Milos Kerkez didn’t have the best of a game in the backline either, as the Cherries had a few opportunities to score after beating the left-back.
Liverpool player ratings vs Bournemouth
Alisson – 6
Jeremie Frimpong – 7
Ibrahima Konate – 2
Virgil van Dijk – 6
Milos Kerkez – 4
Alexis Mac Allister – 7
Dominik Szoboszlai – 6
Florian Wirtz – 7
Mohamed Salah – 8
Hugo Ekitike – 9
Cody Gakpo – 8
Substitutes:
Andy Robertson – 4
Wataru Endo – 5
Joe Gomez – 5
Curtis Jones – 5
Federico Chiesa – 8
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