Mohamed Salah missed a penalty as Philip Billing’s first-half goal proved enough for Bournemouth to stun Liverpool 1-0 and move out of the Premier League relegation zone.
Bournemouth took the lead against the run of play with a 28th-minute opener. January arrival Dango Ouattara raced away from Virgil van Dijk and cut the ball back for Bournemouth top scorer Billing to poke home from close range
Liverpool were awarded a penalty with just over 20 minutes remaining as referee John Brooks consulted the VAR screen and penalised Adam Smith for handball when he blocked a goal-bound header from substitute Diogo Jota.
But Salah blasted his penalty well wide of Neto’s right-hand post as Liverpool missed a glorious opportunity to snatch an equaliser.
Substitute Ryan Christie forced a good save from Alisson late on, with Bournemouth weathering a late surge from the away side to hang on and claim an important three points, denting Liverpool’s top-four hopes.
The result sees Bournemouth climb off the bottom of the table to 16th, while Liverpool stay fifth ahead of the rest of the weekend’s fixtures.
Liverpool’s next match sees them travel to the Santiago Bernabeu for a Champions League tie with Real Madrid.
The Reds trail Real 5-2 heading into the second leg. Liverpool’s next Premier League game is away against rivals Manchester City in a lunchtime kick-off on Saturday April 1.
Bournemouth are next in action against Aston Villa. They travel to Villa Park for a 3pm kick-off next Saturday.