Liverpool left the Vitality Stadium with a 1-0 win, but the scoreline flatters nobody. Bournemouth, the home side and pre-match underdogs, produced enough territory and delivery to suggest a different result was available. Instead, a single second-half goal separated the teams, and the underlying numbers explain exactly why the Cherries fell short.
The most revealing figure is Bournemouth's crossing volume. They attempted 27 crosses and completed only 6, a success rate of 22 percent. Liverpool, by contrast, needed just 13 crosses to register 1 successful delivery, yet still created the game's most dangerous moments. Bournemouth's width was constant but their quality in the final third was not. With 8 key passes and an expected assists value of 0.81, the hosts repeatedly reached the penalty area without finding the decisive touch.
Possession split 54-46 in Liverpool's favour, and the passing maps tell a story of two different approaches. Bournemouth played 270 passes in the opposition half against 138 in their own, a clear sign of sustained pressure. Liverpool, meanwhile, split 287 and 200, controlling the game without dominating the ball. The visitors' 36 clearances, more than Bournemouth's 24, underline how often they were forced to defend their box.
The expected goals gap is the cruellest number for the home side. Bournemouth generated 0.76 xG from 9 total shots, with 5 attempts inside the penalty area and 4 from outside. Liverpool produced 1.57 xG from 12 shots, 7 of them inside the box. That is the difference between a team creating half-chances and a team creating one or two genuinely high-value ones. Bournemouth's shot accuracy of 22 percent, with only 2 of 9 efforts on target, confirms the wastefulness.
Tactically, Bournemouth's 4-2-3-1 shape pushed both full-backs high, generating 101 passes into the final third and 27 throw-ins as they pinned Liverpool back. But their 10 dribbles produced only 2 successful take-ons, and they lost 19 of 28 aerial duels. Liverpool's centre-backs absorbed the crossing barrage comfortably, and the visitors' 6 successful dribbles from 19 attempts gave them the transition threat Bournemouth lacked.
The goal arrived on 57 minutes, and the game management that followed was textbook. Liverpool made five substitutions between the 71st and 88th minutes, killing rhythm and protecting the lead. Bournemouth's 4 offsides and 11 fouls reflect a team chasing the game with more urgency than composure. When analysing Bournemouth vs Liverpool lineups, key players and tactics, the conclusion is unavoidable: the Cherries won the territory battle and lost the quality battle. Liverpool's superior shot locations and aerial dominance turned a narrow statistical edge into three points.
