Bournemouth v Liverpool: Key stats and talking points

BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Sunday's match (14:00 BST), with Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola returning to former club Bournemouth. Rose still waiting for first win Bournemouth's 2-2 draw with Brentford followed a frustratingly familiar pattern for head coach Marco Rose, who remains without a Premier League win. His side came from behind to lead 2-1, but an error by goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic gifted the Londoners an equaliser as the Cherries made unwanted history. They are the first team to have led in each of their opening four matches of a Premier League season without winning any of them. Bournemouth have also drawn half of their top-flight games since the start of last season (21 of 42) and have dropped a league-high 31 points from winning positions during that period. Nevertheless, Rose focused on the positives afterwards, highlighting that his side had 10 shots on target to Brentford's two. Their performances suggest a first victory won't be far away, but the Cherries have failed to win any of their opening five top-flight matches twice before, doing so under Eddie Howe in 2017-18 and during Iraola's first season in charge in 2023-24. [BBC] Iraola back in Bournemouth Iraola became something of a draw specialist during his final season at Bournemouth, and that trait has continued at Liverpool, with the Reds sharing the points in three of their opening four league matches, including both home games. However, few recent managers have started their Anfield reigns in truly convincing fashion. Although predecessor Arne Slot had three more points at the same stage, Iraola is the first Liverpool boss this century to remain unbeaten in his opening four Premier League matches. He can also take some confidence from back-to-back top-flight clean sheets, given Liverpool had managed only one shutout in their previous 13 matches. Iraola guided Bournemouth to a 3-2 victory when the sides met at Vitality Stadium in January, but Liverpool have generally dominated this fixture. The Reds have won 14 of 18 Premier League meetings with the Cherries, scoring 54 goals. Their average of three goals per game is their highest against any opponent they have faced at least 10 times in the competition. [BBC]