There was a sense, fleeting but genuine, that Liverpool might finally be turning a corner. A sharp, controlled Champions League victory over Marseille in midweek had offered encouragement that Arne Slot’s side were beginning to rediscover rhythm, resilience and authority.

Three days later, all of that optimism lay in pieces on the south coast.

A chaotic, draining defeat to Bournemouth did not just halt momentum. It ripped away any lingering belief that this team has solved its underlying problems. One step forward was followed, yet again, by two steps back.

A collapse written into Liverpool’s season

For the fifth time this campaign, Liverpool conceded a decisive goal deep into stoppage time. For the fifth time, they looked stunned by their own vulnerability. Seven points have already slipped through their fingers in those moments alone. Come May, those squandered points may define the season.

The manner of defeat was painfully familiar. Twice Liverpool dragged themselves back into a game they had no right to rescue, only to undo their own work with late chaos and poor organisation. Having recovered from 2-0 down to level the contest, they still managed to concede a scrappy winner when Amine Adli bundled home from a long throw.

It was self sabotage of the highest order.

Defensive solidity disappears overnight

Much of Liverpool’s recent unbeaten run had been built on a renewed sense of defensive discipline. That stability vanished within seven first half minutes.

Captain Virgil van Dijk gifted Evanilson the opener with a rare lapse in concentration. Moments later, Alex Jimenez exploited Milos Kerkez’s failure to track his run, with Van Dijk inadvertently playing him onside. The warning signs were glaring.

Even more baffling was the decision making when Joe Gomez went down injured. With Wataru Endo waiting to come on, Liverpool failed to take the simple option of knocking the ball out of play. Instead, they were punished once again.

These are not issues of talent. They are issues of awareness, leadership and composure.

A toothless attack masked by set pieces

While the defensive collapse was alarming, the attacking display raised equally troubling questions. This was not a game dominated by a stubborn low block. Bournemouth played openly. Space was available.

And yet Liverpool created almost nothing.

Both goals came from dead ball situations. Van Dijk headed in from a corner before the break, and Dominik Szoboszlai produced a stunning strike after Mohamed Salah rolled a free kick into his path. From open play, the visitors looked blunt and predictable.

Despite enjoying 73 per cent possession in the second half, Liverpool failed to register a single shot on target until Szoboszlai struck with ten minutes remaining. It was dominance in statistics only.

Momentum squandered at 2-2

At 2-2, the game was there to be won. Instead of pushing on, Liverpool shrank. Shape disappeared. Composure evaporated. Bournemouth, ravaged by injuries and short on confidence, looked the more likely winners long before Adli finally settled it.

The numbers were damning. The hosts recorded more shots on target, a significantly higher expected goals total and created six big chances to Liverpool’s one. This was not an unlucky defeat. It was a deserved one.

Slot leans on fatigue but questions remain

After the match, Arne Slot pointed to tired legs and a congested schedule.

“We had a few players who ran out of energy. I cannot even criticise them for that because two days ago we had an away game in Europe.”

Context matters, but so do choices. Slot retained ten of the eleven players who started in Marseille. Freshening things up with Andy Robertson or Curtis Jones felt obvious. Instead, fatigue was allowed to accumulate.

The tactical reshuffle only added to the confusion. Szoboszlai, arguably Liverpool’s best midfielder on the day, spent much of the second half at right back. Endo, short of rhythm and sharpness, was asked to operate at centre back. It was a patchwork solution that exposed the squad’s fragility.

A squad stretched to its limits

That £450 million summer rebuild was meant to deliver depth as well as quality. Instead, the gaps are glaring. Injuries have played their part. Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are both out for the season. Alexander Isak, the record signing, remains sidelined with a broken leg. Federico Chiesa is unavailable once more.

But recruitment decisions also deserve scrutiny. Liverpool chose not to act decisively in January, despite clear vulnerabilities at the back. They opted not to rival Manchester City for Marc Guehi, deeming the deal too expensive.

With Ibrahima Konate absent on compassionate leave and Gomez injured yet again, Endo found himself drafted into a role he is ill suited to fill. When asked about defensive shortages, Slot bristled.

“Now? Are we now short? That’s your opinion.”

If Endo is required regularly at centre back, the reality will quickly become unavoidable.

Trust issues and underused options

Part of the squad depth problem is self inflicted. Slot is clearly reluctant to trust certain fringe players, which has led to an overreliance on a core group. The result is predictable fatigue and declining performance levels.

Young winger Rio Ngumoha should have replaced the ineffective Cody Gakpo far earlier. Salah’s barren run now stretches to eight appearances, and neither flank is providing consistent threat. Rotation is needed, but confidence in alternatives appears limited.

The Robertson dilemma

Interest from Tottenham Hotspur in Andy Robertson only adds another layer of complexity. With his contract expiring in the summer and a World Cup on the horizon, the Scotland captain wants regular football.

Listening to offers makes financial sense. Weakening an already stretched squad does not.

Kerkez has improved, but this performance underlined how far he still has to go. The idea of selling Robertson and relying on Kostas Tsimikas, returning from a loan spell at Roma, feels risky at best. There is a reason he struggled to establish himself previously.

A defining stretch ahead

With Konate potentially leaving on a free, and uncertainty surrounding Salah, Chiesa and Gomez, major surgery looms this summer. It will be expensive, unavoidable and critical.

First, though, Liverpool must stabilise. A Champions League meeting with Qarabag at Anfield offers a chance to reset and secure progression in Europe, where performances have been far more convincing.

Domestically, however, the champions are drifting. A once promising title defence is now a fight simply to remain among Europe’s elite. Given the scale of rebuilding required, failure to secure Champions League football would carry consequences far beyond this season.

The corner they thought they had turned was an illusion. The problems remain, stubborn and exposed.