Alexander Isak proved the difference on a afternoon when little else went right for Liverpool.

Just past the 60-minute mark, the striker got a touch on Cody Gakpo’s low cross , with a deflection off Florian Wirtz along the way, to break the deadlock and hand his side a scrappy 1-0 win over Bournemouth.

It wasn’t pretty. For long stretches, Liverpool looked a step off the pace, and pundit Jamie Carragher didn’t hold back on commentary, wondering aloud how Bournemouth boss Marco Rose must have watched the hosts’ sluggish first half in disbelief.

The Cherries controlled large portions of the game and looked the more dangerous side for much of it.

What they lacked was a finishing touch. Their clearest opening came from Evanilson, who got on the end of a Marcus Tavernier cross with a near-post flick, only for Alisson to produce a sharp reaction save, palming the ball away from an awkward angle behind him.

In the end, one moment of quality was enough.

The result moves Liverpool up to sixth and gives them just their second league win of the season heading into the international break — a modest return, but a welcome one given how the game played out.

Bournemouth’s wait for a win under Marco Rose continues; they remain stuck on points with Coventry down in 17th.