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Liverpool breezed past Bournemouth at Anfield with Sadio Mane, Gini Wijnaldum, and Mohamed Salah getting on the scoresheet. The win takes Liverpool to the top of the table.
Bournemouth made it difficult for the hosts during the initial phase of the first half and had a chance to take an early lead through Ryan Fraser. However, they found themselves behind in the 24th minutes after Sadio Mane headed in James Milner's cross from close range. Liverpool doubled their lead four minutes after the half-hour mark as Gini Wijnaldum dinked the ball over Artur Boruc.
Soon after the restart, Jurgen Klopp's side scored their third goal after Mohamed Salah netted his 20th of the season (in all competitions), rounding off a delightful move that was started by Naby Keita's well executed through ball.
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In this article, we take a look at the five talking points from Liverpool's win against Bournemouth.
#5 Respite for The Reds after frustrating draws against Leicester and West Ham
The Premier League title race saw a twist after Manchester City capitalized on Liverpool's, 'wee blip', as Jurgen Klopp's side dropped points following frustrating draws against Leicester and West Ham. Liverpool responded in fine fashion on Saturday as they secured a comfortable 3-0 win against Bournemouth.
Liverpool got off to a slow start and found it difficult against a Bournemouth side that crowded in midfield and defended in numbers, which did not allow Fabinho, Keita, and Wijnaldum to play in between the lines.
However, Liverpool were patient and kept probing against their opponents. They finally got their reward and opened the scoring in the 24th minute. They got three goals in quick succession and put the game to bed early in the second half.
A much-improved performance from the Reds could be attributed to the return of Gini Wijnaldum, who's composure at the middle of the park was vital to regain possession and maintain the momentum.
Overall, it was a performance that would relieve Liverpool, who were stifled by their opponents in the previous two games they played.
#4 Bournemouth fade away after making a decent start
Bournemouth boss went into Saturday's game with a 4-5-1 formation which included Jordon Ibe, Dan Gosling, Jefferson Lerma, and Ryan Fraser. It was clearly evident that Howe's plan was to stop Liverpool's midfielders to control the game by crowding the midfield.
Through this approach, Bournemouth also kept a check on Salah, Mane, and Firmino as the front three found it difficult to break through a resolute Bournemouth side. The visitors also had a chance to take an early lead through Ryan Fraser, whose attempt was smartly parried away by Alisson Becker.
The Cherrie's could not keep up the momentum and fell behind in the 24th minute through Mane. From then on, Bournemouth tried chasing the game which left huge gaps behind, that were exploited by their opponents.
Lapses in concentration and an inability to get the likes of Fraser into the game cost Bournemouth as they had no creativity up front, also leaving Josh King bereft of any service. Liverpool completed the win with goals from Wijnaldum and Salah, as they brushed aside a poor Bournemouth side.
#3 Liverpool's midfield shines in win over Bournemouth
Jurgen Klopp was handed a triple boost as Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum and Trent Alexander-Arnold returned for Liverpool's clash against Bournemouth. Klopp started the game with the midfield three of Fabinho, Keita, and Wijnaldum. The midfield trio put in an outstanding shift against Bournemouth, who were no match for them in the middle of the park.
Fabinho continued his fine form and did well in shielding the back four against any potential counter-attack. He slotted in well in between the two centre-backs and broke up numerous counters and recovered possession with his positioning, interceptions.
The Brazilian ended the game with a pass accuracy rate of 88%, won 6/8 duels and made 5 recoveries. Naby Keita, who has made a slow start to life at Liverpool, put in a more commanding display than the ones he put against Leicester and West Ham. He was fearless in possession and took on Bournemouth's players with ease. Along with Wijnaldum, Keita maintained the game's flow and linked up well with the front three.
The Guinean International put an excellent through ball to Firmino in the 48th minute, that initiated the move leading to Salah's goal. Overall, Keita looked much more confident and ended with a pass accuracy of 90% and made twelve recoveries.
Gini Wijnaldum, returning from injury, highlighted how important he is for Liverpool after putting in a stellar performance against Bournemouth. The Dutch international scored the all-important second goal in the 34th minute. Wijnaldum functioned as the engine in Liverpool's midfield and made things tick with his simple, yet effective style of play.
#2 Bournemouth's defense in sixes and sevens against Liverpool
Bournemouth started the game in decent fashion as they thwarted all of Liverpool's attacking advances with organized and brave defending. However, it only lasted for 23 minutes as a momentary lapse in concentration led to the opening goal.
After the first goal was conceded, no one in Bournemouth's back four took the responsibility to reorganize things at the back, and also the poor midfield performance left them exposed against a potent Liverpool attack. They were rash in their tackling and conceded cheap fouls in vital areas of the pitch.
Their full-backs, Diego Rico and Adam Smith, were shown yellow for fouls on Milner and Fabinho respectively. They were caught out defensively and could not handle the interplay between Salah, Firmino, and Mane. Neither Rico not Smith could offer much while going forward as they were thwarted by Milner and Robertson.
Nathan Ake and Steven Cook couldn't do much to prevent Liverpool's goals and looked out of sorts against Liverpool. Due to poor performances and lack of support from the midfield and fullbacks, they were left exposed which was seen during the build-up to Liverpool's third goal.
#1 Liverpool's front three get on the act against Bournemouth
Liverpool's revered front three got on the act after being frustrated by Leicester and West Ham. Salah and Mane got on the scoresheet against Bournemouth while the former scored his 20th goal of the season (in all competitions). Meanwhile, Firmino added another assist to his tally.
Roberto Firmino looked off color in Liverpool's games during the past week but was much better against Bournemouth. The Brazilian used his vast expanse of energy to help to regain possession and forced the Bournemouth midfielders to commit mistakes in important areas of the pitch. Despite some misplaces passes early in the game, Firmino grew as the game progressed.
He assisted Salah for the third goal after laying a backheel for the Egyptian to finish. Firmino created the most number of chances (5) in the game and also had an opportunity to get on the score sheet late on. Firmino also made four key passes during the game.
Mohamed Salah proved to be a constant menace for Diego Rico and made life difficult for the centre-backs by playing on their shoulders. The Egyptian scored Liverpool's third goal after slotting the ball past an onrushing Boruc. Salah was unlucky to have a second after one of his shots hit the crossbar, a few minutes after Liverpool's third goal.
Sadio Mane continued his goal scoring form and scored the opening goal, which gave Liverpool the liberty to approach the game in a more relaxed manner. As usual, his link up with Andy Robertson down the left was exquisite.
Liverpool's front three were outstanding against Bournemouth and would be expected to perform in top gear as tricky fixtures against Bayern Munich and Manchester United loom on the horizon.
