Liverpool’s top four aspirations took a blow as they conceded a late equaliser in an enthralling 2-2 draw with Bournemouth.
The Cherries had been gifted a dream start when a calamitous back pass from Georginio Wijnaldum allowed Benik Afobe to nip in before goalkeeper Simon Mignolet and the striker made no mistake by sliding into an empty net.
But Liverpool fought back as Philippe Coutinho drew the scores level before the break to become the joint-highest Brazilian scorer in the Premier League. Wijnaldum went from zero to hero after the restart as the former Newcastle man picked out Divock Origi with an inch perfect cross to leave his team mate with a simple headed finish as the hosts took the lead.
Liverpool had chances to further increase their lead but were made to pay for their defensive fragilities when Josh King was allowed to turn inside the area and tuck away his 12th goal of the season with only three minutes to play.
Ragnar Klavan spurned a decent opportunity in injury time and it was frustration all around for Liverpool as they slip five points behind second-placed Tottenham who beat Swansea 3-1 while fifth-placed Arsenal beat West Ham 3-0 to move within six points of Jurgen Klopp’s side with two games in hand.
