By Samuel A. January 21, 2024
Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to five points after cruising past Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium by a sublime second half display. Goals from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota sealed a deserved three points and solidified their position at the top. Both sides struggled to create anything worthwhile in the first half, but Nunez broke the deadlock barely four minutes after the break with a composed right foot finish from Jota’s pass. He was then involved in the build up to Liverpool’s second about 20 minutes later, battling to win possession for Cody Gakpo, who released to Jota, who beat Neto at his near post.
Jota got his second when he initially miscontrolled, but then recovered his poise to send a low shot beyond the Bournemouth keeper, before the Uruguayan sensation added a fourth in stoppage time, diverting in Joe Gomez’s cross.
Mohammed Salah’s presence with the Egypt squad at the Africa Cup of Nations saw the usual questions asked about how Liverpool would cope without their talismanic superstar, however, surprisingly, they’ve had it all under control so far, with victory at Arsenal in the FA Cup fourth round, an EFL Cup semifinal first leg win against Fulham and now a stroll to three points at the Vitality.
This was also a Liverpool side without several other high profile players, including the injured Trent Alexander Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Japan midfielder Wataru Endo also away at the Asian Cup.
World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister in midfield was a joy to watch. Controlled and classy, he was always able to bring order even though some of the play around him was scrappy, as he was played as an unnatural number six.
The visitors made a sluggish start after enjoying a short break away, but once they moved through the gears in the second half, Bournemouth were unable to stop the fierceness of the attack and high pressure from the defenders, as Bournemouth attackers, including Solanke, who was kept at bay throughout the game. Liverpool go into EFL Cup semifinal second leg at Fulham with a 2-1 advantage on Wednesday, where Bournemouth have been knocked out.
