Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola reacted to the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool.
Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola bemoaned the penalty decision that cost his side against Arne Slot's well-oiled Liverpool.
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18:03 - 01.02.2025
Bournemouth vs Liverpool: Salah clears Lampard, hits new milestone as Reds bury wasteful Cherries
Mohamed Salah was the star of the show as Liverpool defeated Bournemouth 2-0 at the Vitality Stadium.
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23:24 - 01.02.2025
Not Good - Why was Arne Slot fretful after Liverpool’s win at Bournemouth?
Slot was distressed despite Liverpool’s important victory at the Cherries.
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The controversial decision
The Cherries came into the contest with an 11-game unbeaten run; hence, it came as no surprise when they proved a tough meet to chew for the Merseysiders.
The game was stiffly contested for 30 minutes, with both sides trading blows, until Liverpool broke the deadlock through a Mohamed Salah penalty.
Cody Gakpo was adjudged to have been fouled in the box by Lewis Cook, and VAR upheld referee Darren England's decision. Upon closer inspection through replays, however, the contact was unclear, hence the ensuing controversy.
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Iraola's reaction
The Basque tactician was incensed after the decision and earned himself a yellow card for his protests. He was less animated in the mix-zone post-match but still communicated his displeasure with the decision.
"They give this one—then I will complain for the other one [in a previous game] because it's even more clear. So, I can complain about the consistency of the decisions.”
"The levels of the players we deserve to talk about them. I will try to speak about the players -they're the ones who deserve that. We were ready for this, but we needed to punish them and put them under more pressure."