Before kick-off on Sunday, Iraola walked back down a touchline he used to own. His replacement, Marco Rose, met him with a hug, and the Vitality crowd applauded the man who left for Anfield in the summer after taking Bournemouth into Europe for the first time. Ninety-plus minutes later, Iraola was the one leaving with all three points.

Liverpool won 1-0 in the closest match of the head coach’s short reign so far, with Bournemouth dominating the opening 20 minutes and forcing Alisson into a low save from Evanilson’s near-post flick after 18 minutes. Bradley Barcola drew another stop from the Brazilian in the 34th minute, and Dominik Szoboszlai’s free-kick bounced just wide two minutes later.

Gakpo’s run and Isak’s finish

The breakthrough came in the 57th minute. Cody Gakpo drove down the right and swung over a cross meant for Florian Wirtz, who could not connect under pressure. Isak was lingering behind him and swept the loose ball home for his fourth Premier League goal of the season.

Iraola picked out the same passage of play afterwards.

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“Cody today has been very important in both ways,” he told reporters.

Wirtz’s evening improved after the interval.

“Second half he was much better, he was finding better spots. We have not found the last pass, the last ball to score but I’m much more happy with his performance in the second half than the first,” Iraola said.

A start not seen since Joe Fagan

The result kept Liverpool unbeaten across Iraola’s first five league matches in charge, a start no Liverpool manager had matched since Joe Fagan in September 1983. It was also a third consecutive clean sheet.

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“I’m obviously happy with the result because I know this is a difficult place to come to,” Iraola said.

“Overall, as a team, it’s a third clean sheet in a row. Still things to improve, but they are giving us solidity.”

Manchester City remain out in front of the Premier League with a perfect record from their opening five games, according to standings published after the round. Liverpool’s win at the Vitality moved them up to sixth.

Rose still waiting for a first league win

Rose, who succeeded Iraola in the summer, is still without a Premier League win in his opening five matches. He did guide Bournemouth to a 2-1 away victory over Real Sociedad on Thursday in the club’s first European tie, and spoke afterwards of inheriting Iraola’s work.

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“I really feel I’m really thankful to be the coach in this situation, even though I was not in the club last season,” Rose said.

His assessment of the Liverpool defeat was blunter.

“We couldn’t see that one team deserved to win,” Rose told Sky Sports.

“We panicked a little bit in tight situations.”

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The Premier League now breaks for the international window.

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