A CONTROVERSIAL goal from Liverpool striker Christian Benteke condemned Cherries to a second defeat in the Premier League on their first trip to Anfield in 47 years.

Benteke struck midway through the first half despite Philippe Coutinho appearing to have taken up an offside position moments before the Belgian tapped home.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for the visitors, who also had an early effort from Tommy Elphick ruled out after the captain was judged to have fouled Dejan Lovren.

But it was five-time European champions Liverpool who took victory in the first league contest between the teams, ending Cherries’ hopes of a first win over the Reds in a competitive game.

Boss Eddie Howe made two changes to the Cherries side that had lost 1-0 to Aston Villa on the opening day with Eunan O’Kane handed his first league start in 11 months, ex-Everton midfielder Dan Gosling making way for the 25-year-old.

In addition, Max Gradel, recruited earlier this month from St Etienne for a fee understood to be £6million, was given his first start at the expense of winger Marc Pugh.

New recruit Lee Tomlin took his place in the matchday squad for the first time as striker Yann Kermorgant – scorer of 15 Championship goals last term – relinquished his place on the bench.

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers resisted the temptation to make any tweaks to the starting XI that had featured in the 1-0 victory at Stoke, with £29million summer signing Roberto Firmino remaining on an unchanged bench.

Cherries started well but it was Liverpool who were first to threaten when Jordan Ibe sliced wide from the edge of the box.

The visitors momentarily thought they had scored their first Premier League goal in the fifth minute when Elphick headed home a corner, only to be judged to have fouled Lovren by referee Craig Pawson.

Clearly buoyed, Cherries continue to attack and another corner arrived in the 13th minute, Gradel’s driven near-post delivery headed clear of the bar by King.

Midway through the first half, Daniels’s tenacious run and skidding cross nearly fell to Callum Wilson but instead the ball squirted to safety off the shin of centre-half Martin Skrtel.

A wayward pass from Matt Ritchie handed Benteke a sight of goal some 25 yards out but Liverpool’s marquee summer signing lashed well wide of the right upright.

However, the former Aston Villa man did not have to wait long for his first competitive goal in a Reds shirt, although it arrived in controversial fashion in the 26th minute.

Benteke stabbed in Jordan Henderson’s delicious cross at the far post and the goal was given, despite Coutinho appearing offside when the initial delivery came in.

The hosts came within a whisker of doubling their lead soon after when James Milner squared to Henderson and the England midfielder clipped the top of Boruc’s bar, leaving the Kop disappointed.

Seven minutes before half-time, Cherries survived penalty appeals as Henderson went to ground under minimal contact from Gradel before Coutinho fluffed a gilt-edged opportunity.

The talisman’s attempted pass was returned to his feet after a fortunate bounce off Daniels but he contrived to stroke past the left post with the goal gaping.

Cherries began the second period with renewed purpose and Ritchie danced clear of several red shirts before unleashing a fizzing Exocet that keeper Simon Mignolet fielded confidently.

Ex-Swindon winger Ritchie was at it again moments later when he jinked inside Adam Lallana but the Scotland international’s effort did not curl or dip enough, before a Wilson shot was blocked by the midriff of Joe Gomez.

Coutinho was proving a constant thorn in the side of the visitors’ defence and the Liverpool playmaker fired a deflected effort narrowly past Boruc’s left post.

Lively work from Ibe in the 55th minute was not finished off by Milner as the ball slowly spun away from danger, before Ritchie’s swerving delivery was punched nervously behind by Mignolet.

Ritchie leathered a fraction wide of the right post after the ball had broken kindly for him 20 yards out and Howe then elected to throw Tomlin on for his Cherries debut.

The visitors were beginning to look more of a threat and Wilson cleverly located O’Kane in the box, only for the midfielder to stroke into the side-netting.

Andrew Surman produced a thunderous block to stop a Coutinho drive and Daniels repeated the trick in the 74th minute after the Brazilian had been expertly found in space by Benteke.

Cherries ramped up the pressure in the closing stages and Simon Francis had Mignolet worried with a header that dropped onto the roof of the net.

Benteke should have doubled the home advantage in the dying embers when his first-time strike bounced up off the turf and against the crossbar, much to Boruc’s relief.

But, ultimately, the final whistle soon sounded and gave the Reds their second 1-0 triumph in as many games.

MATCH STATS

Liverpool: Mignolet, Clyne, Lovren, Skrtel, Gomez, Henderson (Can, 52), Milner, Coutinho (Moreno, 81), Lallana, Ibe (Firmino, 70), Benteke.

Unused subs: Toure, Origi, Ings, Bogdan (g/k).

Booked: Gomez.

Cherries: Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie, O’Kane (Gosling, 87), Surman, Gradel (Smith, 81), King (Tomlin, 61), Wilson.

Unused subs: Mings, Distin, Pugh, Federici (g/k).

Booked: O’Kane, Ritchie, Cook, Tomlin.

Referee: Craig Pawson.

Attendance: 44,102.