Alexander Isak edges Liverpool to victory on Iraola’s return to Bournemouth

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At the final whistle, victory secured, Andoni Iraola embraced both his current players and those he guided to new heights at Bournemouth last season. Isak’s only other shot before scoring was to balloon a first-time effort high and wide but his second-half strike was sufficient to return Liverpool to winning ways in the Premier League.In midweek, Iraola was rooting for his former club on their European bow but promised a businesslike return to Bournemouth and stepped off one of the two Liverpool team coaches with a game face.

Iraola’s body of work, improving season on season and eclipsing Bournemouth’s points record in successive campaigns led him to this point. The transition was so smooth Rose and Iraola spent an hour together on Iraola’s last day at Bournemouth’s training base, only stopping because Tiago Pinto, Bournemouth’s sporting director, interrupted to remind them there were other things on the agenda.All the niceties, Iraola said, could wait until afterwards.

Iraola marched from the away technical area back towards the dugout after Alisson’s smart right-hand save prevented Evanilson’s front-post flick from squeezing in at his near post.Szoboszlai dropped a typically vicious free-kick wide of Djordje Petrovic’s post and Petrovic saved a deflected Bradley Barcola shot with his legs, but Liverpool spent much of the first half containing Bournemouth’s threats; they attacked from all angles, as Iraola knew they would.Early in the second half, Szoboszlai was booked for a foul on Alex Scott but Liverpool showed glimpses of their quality. “Yes, yes,” Iraola said, encouraging Isak as the Sweden striker made tracks down the right flank, only for his cross to end up with the ball flying towards the scaffolding structure in a corner of the ground, part of Bournemouth’s ongoing stadium upgrade.