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Beth Lindop
BOURNEMOUTH, England — Arne Slot has admitted Liverpool «ran out of energy» in their 3-2 defeat to AFC Bournemouth and said his team only had themselves to blame for more dropped points in the Premier League.
The Reds came back from two goals down at the Vitality Stadium before Amine Adli netted a winner in the 95th minute to seal all three points for the hosts.
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It means Slot’s side are now without a win in five league games, having picked up just four points from the last 15 on offer.
Liverpool remain fourth — 14 points adrift of leaders Arsenal — but could end the weekend as low as eighth.
«It’s frustrating because it is always frustrating to concede a goal but especially if there is no time to get it back,» the Liverpool boss said. «But I think it is safe to say they could have made it 3-2 a little bit earlier. When we made it 2-2 we were still trying but I think it is safe to say a few players of ours ran out of energy.
«I cannot even criticise them because two days ago we played away in Europe and we are the only team that played in the Champions League on Wednesday and has just two days in between, another away game against one of the most intense teams in the league.»
Slot made just one change to the lineup — Cody Gakpo coming in for Hugo Ekitike — that registered a 3-0 Champions League win in Marseille on Wednesday evening.
Liverpool’s injury list includes defenders Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni as well as forwards Alexander Isak and Federico Chiesa.
«I mainly, as you probably see, played the same players because of who we have available,» Slot added.
«So then, what should not have happened if you have to win it in the end because then that is more difficult. That is what you saw in the last 10 minutes because the rest of it we dominated the game.»
Liverpool conceded two goals in the space of seven first-half minutes, during which they also lost defender Joe Gomez to injury.
Slot’s side were temporarily down to 10 men when Álex Jiménez claimed Bournemouth’s second seven minutes later as substitute Wataru Endo was still waiting to replace the injured Gomez, who collided with goalkeeper Alisson Becker while trying to block the first goal.
Asked whether the period was responsible for the result, Slot said: «There has only been seven minutes where I wouldn’t even say we were struggling but where the other team was part of the game as well and in those seven minutes we conceded two.
«Of course, the second one was when we were down to 10 because after the first goal Joe Gomez had to go off with an injury. He wanted to try. He thought he could but then he couldn’t.
«And maybe that sums up our season. It’s every time something else. It’s every time something special how we concede. But we concede and the only ones to blame are ourselves.»
PA contributed to this report.
