LIVERPOOL 9-0 BOURNEMOUTH: MATCH REVIEW

Liverpool took out their early season frustration on a sorry Bournemouth side on Saturday, trouncing the Cherries 9-0 to equal the record margin of victory in Premier League history. Here’s the match review.

You can check out player ratings from the match here.

° Lineup. There was just the one change to the lineup, with Fabinho coming in for James Milner. The manager resisted the urge to start both Elliott and Carvalho in midfield, with the latter making do with a place on the depleted bench.

° A much needed fast start. The Reds have made a habit of staggering into games recently, conceding the first goal in each of the last seven league fixtures. There was none of that on Saturday though as they flew out of the blocks and set about slicing the Cherries open.

° Diaz opens the scoring. The Colombian offered his best Jota impression by leaping above Smith in the box to plant home a header, after an excellent turn and cross by Firmino. That was already an improvement on his Old Trafford showing, where he played too far away from goal.

° Harvey doubles the lead in double quick time. The Reds didn’t relent after the opener as they continued to fly forward, with neat interplay and movement bamboozling the visitors’ defence. When Firmino’s touch inadvertently fell to Elliott, there was only one thought on the youngsters mind.

He whipped it first time, hard and low into the bottom corner, past the despairing dive of Travers. It was the tangible impact the 19 year old had been threatening to deliver in his fleeting appearances this season. 2-0 up inside six minutes and Klopp’s men were hungry for more.

° Trent piledriver. The 23 year old has yet to truly get going in the league this season but sparked into life on Saturday with an outstanding showing. He rifled an unstoppable drive into the top corner from outside the box to make it 3-0 before the 30 minute mark. Bobby again with the assist.

° Bobby delight. A deflected cross into the six yard box caused confusion, with Travers and Senesi both hesitating to deal with it. Bobby stuck out a boot to steer home for what was a proper striker’s goal. He was playing closer to goal, and like Diaz, looked much better for it.

° Virgil makes it 5. A Robertson corner on the stroke of halftime was met powerfully by the Dutch skipper, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. Liverpool clearly took defeat at Old Trafford personally.  

° Reds continue where they left off. Barely a minute after the restart, Liverpool had scored another. This time Mepham turning a wicked Trent cross into his own goal under pressure from Diaz. The Colombian was clearly in an offside position but was somehow adjudged to have not interfered with play.

° Bobby delight. The Brazilian responded to recent criticism with a perfect display of playmaking and finishing. His second goal was another poacher’s effort, as he pounced on a loose ball in the box to fire into an empty net for his 100th goal for the club. It was a no look finish of course.

Roberto Firmino for LFC:

💰| Transfer fee: £29m
🎮| Games : 331
⚽| Goals : 100
🎯| Assists : 70

🎶 There’s something that the Kop wants you to know…

° Carvalho breaks his duck. The halftime substitute slammed home an eighth goal for the Reds after another substitute, Tsimikas, had touched Trent’s raking diagonal into his path. There were some lovely goals on show and this was another.

° Diaz ends what he started. The Colombian began the scoring and ended it with another thumping header, this time from Tsimikas’ in-swinging corner. The former Porto man’s end product had been questioned, this was the perfect response.

° Double debut. There was enough time for Academy duo Stefan Bajcetic and Bobby Clark to make their official debuts for the club. The former starred in pre-season and got twenty minutes under his belt, with Clark getting the final seven minutes to show what he could do.

° Perfect riposte. This was the belated response Jürgen Klopp had been waiting for from his charges. They absolutely tore apart a Bournemouth side that looked out of their depth to roar back into form. What had gone on was not good enough and this was a notice that the Reds are back.

° Time to go on a run. 5 points from a possible 12 is definitely not the kind of start envisaged after the impressive Community Shield victory. The 9-0 win was a welcome three points but it’s time to go on a winning run. That’s the only way to reel in the teams above us.

° What’s next? Liverpool are next in action on Wednesday night when they host Eddie Howe’s impressive Newcastle side. The Merseyside derby swiftly follows on Saturday, before the Champions League kicks in with a trip to Naples next week. The season starts here.