Pundit says Liverpool win over Bournemouth gives them psychological 'boost’ in title race with Man City

Former Crystal Palace striker Glenn Murray has opined that Liverpool received a 'psychological boost' in the Premier League title race with Manchester City after the Reds' win against Bournemouth.

Liverpool made light work of the Cherries at the Vitality Stadium in their Premier League game on Sunday (21 January), recording a 4-0 win. Darwin Nunez opened the scoring with a well-taken right-footed finish in the 49th minute after some good combination play between Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota.

Jota then doubled his team's lead in the 70th minute after taking a powerful first-time shot following a through ball from Cody Gakpo. The Portugal international then scored his brace nine minutes later, scoring with another powerful right-footed shot after scuffing the initial chance.

Nunez put the finishing touches on a commanding display, getting his foot onto a delicious Joe Gomez cross in stoppage time. After the convincing win, Liverpool went five points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Murray believes this will give the Reds a psychological boost over Manchester City, who have won five of the last league titles on offer. He said on BBC Radio 5 Live:

"This was a big victory for Liverpool especially with Manchester City not playing. It puts them five points in front and psychologically that is a big boost."

Liverpool now have 48 points from 21 league matches — two more than Manchester City, who have a game in hand. The Cityzens' next league game is on 31 January at the Etihad against Burnley.

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A look at the numbers in Liverpool's win over Bournemouth

Liverpool dominated Bournemouth away from home in their league meeting despite Mohamed Salah's absence.

The Reds kept 61% of the ball, taking seven shots on target as compared to Bournemouth's one. They also completed 83% of their 520 passes, which was markedly better than the hosts' 72% success rate from 321 passes.

Liverpool were also dominant in the air, winning 21 of the 30 aerial duels contested between the two teams. They continued their dominant head-to-head record against Bournemouth with this win and have lost only two of their 22 meetings against the Cherries.

It was also just the second defeat Andoni Iraola's side have suffered in their last 10 games across competitions. They now sit 12th in the table with 25 points from 20 matches.