Liverpool have missed the chance to move eight points clear of fifth place having been held to a 2-2 draw by Bournemouth at Anfield this evening.
The visitors took an early lead through Benik Afobe, but goals from Philippe Coutinho and Divock Origi either side of half time looked to have put Liverpool on course for a fifth straight home win.
However, Joshua King levelled things up with just three minutes remaining to earn Bournemouth their first ever point away to Liverpool as the Cherries extended their unbeaten streak to a club-record equalling five Premier League matches.
Having seen Manchester United drop more points at home on Tuesday night, Liverpool went into the game knowing that victory would be another significant step towards securing Champions League football for next season and they almost broke the deadlock inside the opening minutes when Dejan Lovren narrowly missed out on a header at the back post.
A bright start from the hosts was soon undone as they fell behind after just seven minutes, though, with Georginio Wijnaldum selling Simon Mignolet short with a back-pass that allowed Afobe to nip in and slot the ball into the bottom corner.
Origi - in for the injured Sadio Mane - looked to produce a quick response when he fired an effort wide from just outside the area, but the Belgian squandered a much clearer chance later in the first half when he failed to properly connect with a volley having ghosted in unmarked at the back post.
It was set pieces that caused the main problems for both defences in the first half, and Bournemouth should have doubled their advantage midway through the opening period when the ball was flicked on to Marc Pugh, who could only volley his first-time strike narrowly wide of the far post.
An end-to-end contest then saw Wijnaldum attempt to atone for his earlier error with a fierce low drive from outside the area, but Artur Boruc got down well to make the save and crucially held on to the powerful strike.
Liverpool's pressure for an equaliser left them vulnerable to a counter-attack, and King fired a warning shot in that regard when he raced in behind Ragnar Klavan and held off the challenge of Lovren before lashing a powerful effort off target from a tight angle.
Roberto Firmino and Coutinho both then had efforts of their own from outside the area before the Brazilian pair combined to level things up for the Reds five minutes before half time.
Firmino managed to smuggle the ball through for Coutinho inside the box, who kept his composure to sort out his feet and bury his finish past Boruc for his 29th Premier League goal, drawing him level with Juninho as the highest-scoring Brazilian in the division's history.
Liverpool picked up where they left off at the start of the second half and almost completed the turnaround within minutes of the restart when Nathaniel Clyne's swerving drive from the edge of the box was sensationally turned onto the underside of the crossbar by Boruc.
A string of unsuccessful long-range efforts followed from Clyne, Wijnaldum and Coutinho, but Liverpool's pressure was finally rewarded shortly before the hour mark when Wijnaldum reached the byline before standing a cross up for Origi to nod home from close range.
Liverpool continued to control matters, but they couldn't give themselves more of a cushion and that proved costly as for the second time this season Bournemouth struck late to rescue a result from the jaws of defeat.
The Reds failed to clear their lines from a cross into the box and the ball eventually dropped kindly for King, who held off Klavan before firing his finish past Mignolet on the turn.
The hosts immediately went in search of a winner and came close on two occasions in the dying embers of the match, but Joel Matip could only steer his header inches wide of the target before Klavan nodded one of his own straight into the arms of Boruc.
Bournemouth held out for a famous result - the first time they have ever avoided defeat at Anfield - with the point seeing them climb a place into 13th in the Premier League table.
Liverpool, meanwhile, remain third but are now only six points ahead of fifth-placed Arsenal having played two games more than the Gunners.
Barney Corkhill
