Bournemouth and Liverpool played out a first half so drab that the referee added on no time at all, presumably because no one in the stadium could stomach another second. Alisson made one fine save to deny Evanilson, and Andoni Iraola's side lacked coherence and intensity, leaving the manager with genuine work to do. Meanwhile, at Elland Road, Leeds and Palace sat at 0-0, while Antoine Semenyo put City 3-2 up against Sunderland.
Back at the Vitality, Dominik Szoboszlai's 43rd-minute corner was headed clear easily enough. Niall Mullen wrote in to defend Cody Gakpo as "Liverpool's most creative player this season; not a strongly contested competition, but still." Fair, but Gakpo's crossing and shooting into bodies remains especially infuriating - the kind of player you're thrilled to have until you watch him play.
Bournemouth looked to up it again around the 39th minute, but there had been precious little quality in the half. Liverpool were sluggish through midfield and attack, getting away with one thanks to Alisson and Jacquet, who has made an excellent start to his Liverpool career and looks a genuine player. At the 38th minute, Brian Brobbey scored again for Sunderland, finishing a lovely team goal that survived a VAR check, levelling things at 2-2 with City.
In the 36th, a nodded header through the centre found Ryan Christie far too easily for Bournemouth, but Jacquet glided over to block the shot. The 34th brought a knuckle-ball attempt that scooted low past the near post. In the 33rd, Liverpool found Barcola down the left; he cut inside to open a shooting lane, forcing Petkovic to save with his legs, and follow-up shots from Wirtz and Gakpo were blocked by a wall of bodies. Liverpool maintained pressure and won a free-kick 30 yards out, Szoboszlai again applying hands to lips.
At the 32nd minute, back at City, Rayan Cherki shifted it quickly and got a shot away to put his team 2-1 up on Sunderland - possibly the most technical, natural footballer in the league, and one of the game's last mavericks. Bournemouth won a free-kick down the right in the 31st, Tavernier's outswinger easily cleared. A minute earlier, Rio Ngumoha was suggested as a preferable option to Gakpo; the latter was fortunate to make the England squad on talent rather than form, but at least he asks questions of defenders - Gakpo asks questions of people's patience.
On Barcola, the verdict was mixed: likeable, but is he really a £120m player? His finishing is questionable, and while lethal against a high line, how often will Liverpool face one? PSG, one suspects, were delighted to accept that fee for a non-first-choice player. In the 27th, a ball slid in behind for Barcola went up with the flag, though he looked on.
Liverpool looked to build pressure in the 26th, knocking the ball about in Bournemouth's half without tempo, until Kerkez lost patience and booted it into Adams. Isak had barely had a kick by the 24th; Liverpool's midfield lacks a pass-first player, and of the wingers, Gakpo looks to score rather than provide. When Iraola finally settles on a first XI, this probably won't be it.
The 22nd minute brought a sartorial grievance: Liverpool's shorts situation. Why recreate the 1986 away kit - the 1985 classic, sure - and why cerise shorts instead of red? The 21st delivered a classic "block-tackle" reference: Roy Keane on Neil "Dissa" Pointon. The 19th saw a resultant corner come to nothing, but Bournemouth were inching on top, and Kerkez nailed Wirtz with a block-tackle as they contested the same ball - a sair yin for the now-limping German.
Bournemouth were coming in the 18th, Scott sliding a ball between Araujo and Jacquet for Tavernier, who dashed to the line and cut back to the near post where Evanilson flicked; Alisson, moving towards the far, did really well to halt momentum and tip around the post with a strong hand. In the 17th, Jacquet fouled Evanilson unnecessarily out wide, and when the free-kick came to nothing, Scott sidewound towards the box but his pass was kicked away by Van Dijk - the first time he'd been seen in a dangerous area.
In the 16th, Mac Allister slipped it to Wirtz down the line, and Wirtz allowed the ball to run away from him - a careless start. The general theory: players who translate best to the Prem come from Ligue 1 because the physicality is most comparable; the Bundesliga is very hit and miss. Dave Estherby wrote in at the 14th asking if Iraola had just done a Ron Atkinson and sat in the wrong dugout - a hilarious moment for tonight's MOTD, and proof that characters do still exist.
The 12th brought a double dose: back at City, Enzo Le Fee slid Brian Brobbey through for a stabbed finish, an excellent goal and Sunderland level at 1-1. In our game, it had been poor, neither side able to string together a succession of passes. At the 11th, at City, Enzo Fernandez took a free-kick from out on the right, deceived Richard Roefs in the Sunderland net by going for goal with a cross expected, and beat him at the near post. City led 1-0. The 10th: a free-kick curled over the left side of the wall and just over the angle.
In the 8th, Scott rolled studs over the ball looking to drive down the left but ran into Araujo - every bit as pleasant as it sounds - then Mac Allister collected the loose ball and found Wirtz, who incited a Smith into an impetuous tackle. Free-kick Liverpool, 25 yards out, just left of centre; Szoboszlai, to quote Conor Coady, would be "rubbing his lips." Bournemouth won a corner in the same minute, went short to Truffert, whose return-pass was ill-directed and slid behind. Quality remained scarce.
In the 6th, Araujo won it in midfield and found Wirtz, who gave it away. Wirtz has been given an awful amount of patience - understandable given his talent - but it'll surely run out at the end of this season. Bournemouth started the sharper in the 5th despite playing Thursday night, not pressing Liverpool's defence but locking on when they looked to move it into midfield. Van Dijk eventually lofted a pass down the line to meet Barcola's run inside, but he couldn't control and the ball flew behind.
The 3rd minute confirmed Barcola on the left - putting the better player in his preferred position makes some sense - but what Gakpo offers from the right remains unclear. In the 2nd, Bournemouth tested Kerkez with a high ball towards the touchline; Rayan pursued it and won the throw. The 1st: Bournemouth will want to speed up the opening exchanges. Ordinarily you'd expect Liverpool to sit in and calm things down, earning the right to play, but Iraola teams aren't built that way.
The teams tunnelled out to fireworks, which really amped up the excitement. Liverpool, meanwhile, will hope Szoboszlai's power means he can get enough of the ball so Mac Allister and Wirtz can play. They'll also look to hit Isak, whose deft hold-up play can bring them and the wide players into things - he'll want to pick his pass, then hit the box. The sense was Gakpo left and Barcola right, so Gakpo would target the space in behind Truffert.
Marco Rose wants his first league win by keeping the energy from their first European win. He hopes his team play with intensity and they're "quite confident." He's complained about game management this season and at Sociedad they were good in the first half but struggled in the second - they need to get better at keeping the ball when dropping off physically. Kluivert is injured and it'll take some time until he's back.
So where is the game? Adrian Truffert getting at Liverpool's left flank is one to watch - Kerkez is prone to being caught upfield, and Barcola won't want to defend much, so Bournemouth will target that area, also using Rayan, who's in decent nick. They'll also want Scott to carry the ball forward and feed Rayan and Evanilson - he's got the physicality on Mac Allister and Wirtz - and expect them to run off Van Dijk, who isn't what he was.
Iraola says he knows his old players well and that they are good. He expects a tough game but trusts his team, who are ready for the fight. Liverpool have drawn games they wanted to win this season and need to go for the win here. Coming off a lot of games, they're rotating; the starting XI is strong, but there are bench solutions for the second half when the game is decided. It's nice for Iraola to see old faces, but now everyone focuses on the 90 minutes, and then there'll be time to catch up - a thoroughly unrevealing interview.
Chris Day-Kerry wrote in doubting you'll find a better defender than Gabriel Magalhães, though possibly not at the Amex yesterday, and noting it's easier to tempt a player to Spain or France than Northern England. Gabriel is decent, yes, but the overall standard of centre-back is poor - a long way off Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, and probably Ledley King and Sol Campbell too. And yes, to those who emailed: Erling Haaland was neglected, and he is of course also in that list of elite strikers.
As for Liverpool, Iraola is still picking at his back-four - he doesn't have full-backs he can rely on, so he'll likely keep flicking through options until he does. His midfield will remain unbalanced until it isn't. Szoboszlai is a mainstay, but there's not much pace and control around him; Mac Allister is scoring goals currently but doesn't offer enough else, while Wirtz is getting more chances than a Monopoly champion. We see flashes because he's extremely talented; the question is whether he's quick enough, of foot and thought, or robust enough, to regularly impose himself in "this league." The collective sense seems far closer to no than yes.
Rose probably didn't spend too long sweating over his team. Kluivert is a miss, and Junior Kroupi is long-term injured, but otherwise his team is pretty settled. Adam Scott, who might've been thought to leave in the summer, stayed and has started the season in excellent form. His ball-carrying is exceptional and he offers height in both boxes; if he can develop his passing, especially short, punched through the lines, he might develop into an all-round monster.
Also kicking off at 2pm: Man City v Sunderland and Leeds v Palace. We'll keep you updated with any goals; Daniel Farke's men are worth watching after their Monday-night dematerialisation of Newcastle. It's interesting that, for all the money in the Premier League, many of the best players, especially attackers, are in Spain, Munich and Paris. Consider Vinicius, Bellingham, Mbappe, Lamine Yamal, Raphinha, Kvaratskheilia, Dembele, Doue, Oliseh and Kane - the Prem doesn't have superstar equivalence, and only Bruno Fernandes is remotely close to that company in terms of being among the world's best in his position. Nor are there that many Prem players who might have the potential to hit a similar level.
Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, is still searching for his best blend - for any blend, really. He leaves out Victor Munoz, Ryan Gravenberch and Kostas Tsimikas.