'Complaining' - Bournemouth boss lifts lid on Jurgen Klopp argument during Liverpool loss

Andoni Iraola admitted Bournemouth failed to continue to match Liverpool's intensity in his side's comprehensive defeat.

The Reds earned a 4-0 victory at the Vitality Stadium, although they were made to work for all three points. Jurgen Klopp's troops barely created a clear-cut chance in the first half which ended goalless.

However, Liverpool improved markedly after the interval with Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota both plundering doubles. The Reds are now five points clear at the summit of the Premier League table, piling the pressure on reigning champions Manchester City and third-placed Arsenal.

And while Iraola felt Bournemouth equalled Klopp's troops for periods of the game, he conceded the home side failed to improve their performance in the second half.

The Cherries chief told BBC Sport: "We were really good to keep the game level for 45 minutes. We had more chances in the first half but at the end you need to have some moments of inspiration to make a different. They had that in the second half and we didn't.

"We started doing things that we weren't doing in the first half and were probably doing things too quickly. It made us worse. We started leaving more spaces in the middle and weren't as tight or aggression. Liverpool doesn't lose their intensity. If you don't match them, it's difficult.

"We needed to make changes when we conceded because they were starting to win the duels in the middle but I don't think we improved. We kept at the same level and it was not good enough to compete with Liverpool.

"I think Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool have all been really good against us. There's a reason they are the top three teams. Whenever they have a chance, they are clinical and when you make a mistake, they make you pay for it."

“Whenever they have a chance, they are clinical and when you make a mistake, they make you pay for it.”

Liverpool manager Klopp was involved in a fracas with the Bournemouth bench in the closing stages after Lewis Cook was booked for a foul on visiting defender Conor Bradley. However, Iraola played down the incident down. He told Sky Sports: "I think they were both complaining. One was asking for the yellow card from one side, the other... things happen. We congratulate them at the end, things happen.