Christian Benteke delighted to have 'great debut' in front of the Liverpool fans at Anfield

Belgian scored the winner as Liverpool beat Bournemouth

Tom Sheen
Tuesday 18 August 2015 07:22 EDT
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Christian Benteke finishes but Philippe Coutinho (out of shot) should have been ruled offside
Christian Benteke finishes but Philippe Coutinho (out of shot) should have been ruled offside (Reuters)

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Christian Benteke was delighted to break his duck and score the winning goal as Liverpool beat Bournemouth 1-0.

The Belgian striker, signed for £32.5million from Aston Villa earlier this summer, scored the only goal of the game in front of the Kop end.

The goal was not without controversy, as Philippe Coutinho was clearly in an offside position - even though he didn't touch the ball, new rules brought in at the start of the season should have seen the goal wiped off.

"I think it's a great debut for myself and the team but the main point tonight is the three points," he said on Sky Sports 1.

"In my mind I just said 'keep going and you might be able to get to the ball'. I made the right decision and I'm happy."

However, Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe saw things differently.

"It's a clear offside and for that to be missed, with this new rule, it does leave a bit of a bitter taste," he said. "I would like to speak to the officials and get their views on the two main incidents in the game."

Howe was also frustrated by Elphick's disallowed goal.

"For me it's a goal. It's a great ball in, a great header. He's competing, wrestling, but if that's a free-kick we're going to see free-kicks every time there's a corner in my opinion," he said.

However, Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers was not interested in the debate.

"One, I haven't see the replay yet, and two, it's a goal," he said. "It's very difficult, the interpretation changes every year, but the most important thing is it was a goal and we won 1-0. That's all that concerns me.

"I'm very pleased for the players. Six points, two clean sheets, defensively we're working well and the team will grow with their performances."

Additional reporting from PA

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