Hugo Ekitike at centre of ‘strange’ moment as Bournemouth seal surprise win vs Liverpool

Michael Salisbury left Rob Green scratching his head over an incident involving Hugo Ekitike at the Vitality Stadium on Saturday.

Liverpool fans ripped Virgil van Dijk to shreds on 24 January, with the club captain playing a key role in the Cherries’ opener, and his side failing to hold onto the draw after Dominik Szoboszlai‘s equaliser.

Amine Adli was at the centre of attention against Arsenal, being accused of cheating, but he was highlighted for all the right reasons this time, when he netted a dramatic winner in the fifth minute of added time.

Ekitike had been benched for a forward line of Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, but he was thrown on for the final 30 minutes and got fully stuck in as much as he possibly could.

In the 69th minute, Andoni Iraola‘s side were awarded a dangerous free-kick, about 30 yards from goal, but many believed that the decision should have gone the other way.

Michael Salisbury wrongly punishes Hugo Ekitike

While the situation came to nothing, the Reds might have been on the counter-attack had it gone the opposite way, and one pundit was simply stunned by the referee’s decision.

Speaking live on BBC Radio 5 Live (24 January, 7:00pm), Rob Green said: “It’s a controversial call. Hugo Ekitike managed to nick in and get the ball himself. He won the ball, then got kicked. It’s a strange decision.”

Slot’s side would eventually make the most of their chances, as Szoboszlai fired home from outside the box, but the Vitality Stadium truly came to life with the final kick of the ball.

The Cherries took advantage of slack defending at a set-piece, with Adli popping up in the six-yard box, netting his second goal since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.

Virgil van Dijk hits out at VAR over Bournemouth winner

Van Dijk was clearly upset about his own mistakes when being interviewed after the full-time whistle, and that quickly became apparent when discussing VAR’s role in Bournemouth’s winner.

Despite a review of the goal, the Cherries were allowed to continue their celebrations, and in response, he said, “What I felt on that pitch is that I was blocked, but the referee and VAR didn’t give it.

“I can stand here and say it shouldn’t have been given bit it was, so it is what it is,” and the foul wasn’t given. But it was only the Reds’ first defeat in 14 games across all competitions.

Slot’s side now must face Newcastle United, Man City, and Sunderland in the Premier League, but only after coming up against Qarabag FK in the Champions League on Wednesday, 28 January.

Ibrahima Konate could return to the lineup after dealing with the death of his father, but not even the Frenchman has been able to reinstate the Reds to their usual title-winning selves.

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