Liverpool made hard work of their victory against Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Reds went 1-0 down in their match against the Cherries following Callum Wilson's tap-in, and it was only thanks to two poor defensive errors from their opponents that they were able to re-take the lead through Sadio Mane after Mohamed Salah had equalised.

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And they could have been pegged back had it not been for a stunning James Milner clearance in the second half. Filling in for Andrew Robertson at left-back, he provided a captain's performance that helped his side get over the line.

Defensively, the 34-year-old was as solid as a rock. He made four clearances, one interception and two tackles, whilst he also blocked three shots. Not only that, he won five from his seven ground duels, and both duels in the air.

Going in the other direction, he completed 86% of his passes and also managed one cross. All in all, that added up to a 8.3 SofaScore rating - he fully deserved to be ranked as one of the top three players on the pitch.

Before this weekend, Robertson had started all but one of the Reds' 28 Premier League matches, coming on from the bench in the other. Here, though, the £10.8m-rated Milner came into the team after Jurgen Klopp revealed the Scotland international was "something between rested and injured".

The European champions do not have a wealth of depth at left-back. Milner is actually next in line after Robertson - he is the only other senior option who has any real experience in the role.

Starting him there against the Cherries certainly could have backfired, but the former Leeds man, as he so often does, stepped up to the plate admirably.

This should put Klopp's mind at ease for the rest of the campaign - if, for whatever reason, Robertson is available, then Milner has proven himself to be a reliable deputy.

Meanwhile, Liverpool fans are left baffled by this decision from Klopp.