Liverpool manager Arne Slott blamed fatigue for his team's defeat after Bournemouth's Amine Adly scored a last-minute kick to give the Cherries a 3-2 win on Saturday.
Slott had steadied the ship following a run of nine defeats in 12 games for the English champions in recent months.
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However, the Reds have now failed to win any of their last five Premier League matches, dealing a major blow to their hopes of securing Champions League qualification next season.
The visitors made a late comeback from 2–0 down to equalize with 10 minutes remaining thanks to goals from Virgil van Dijk and Dominik Szoboszlai.
“They probably had more chances than us in the last 10 minutes, which shouldn't surprise me at all, knowing that we played in Marseille two days ago,” Slot said.
“For the last four, five, six, seven, eight, nine or 10 games we have had to play with the same players because of limited options. Sometimes you can see some of them get tired towards the end of the game, and I think that was evident today as well.”
Bournemouth's second goal came when Liverpool were reduced to 10 players, with Joe Gomez forced off the field with an injury, further weakening defensive options in the slot.
“I need all my players,” he said. “Robbo had to come on at half-time because I always knew it was not possible for Milos to have another 90 minutes against a very intense Bournemouth team.
“There are still a lot of games to play, and with the players available, I have to manage it carefully, because the last thing we need right now is another injury.”
