Jota and Nunez score two each as Liverpool sweep past Bournemouth
With swirling wind and rain, conditions on the south coast meant this was unlikely to be billed as a potential Premier League classic. The opening stages suggested as much, with both sides doing little more than probe for an opener.
That proved to be the case throughout the entirety of the first half, as neither side’s huff and puff was reflected in their total of clear sightings of goal.
In fact, the main flashpoint of the opening 45 minutes was an officiating one – something that unsurprisingly angered Jürgen Klopp.
Having seen Curtis Jones sent off at Tottenham earlier in the season, the Liverpool chief was enraged when he witnessed Justin Kluivert’s similar-looking challenge on Luis Díaz go unpunished.
There was certainly a sense of cautious optimism at the break that the second half couldn’t possibly be as droll as the first, and a goal inside five minutes of the restart ensured that was the case.
Despite coming under heavy criticism of late, Darwin Núñez has kept plugging away and got his just rewards by sweeping home an impressive team goal from the edge of the area. Muted would perhaps be the best way to describe Bournemouth’s response.
And the game was placed beyond the reach of the Cherries 20 minutes from time, when Diogo Jota turned goalscorer, firing home at the near post.
Though he was now surely boasting a 26th win in 31 goalscoring PL games without defeat for Liverpool, Jota was unwilling to settle for just the one goal, and doubled his tally for the evening shortly after.
Following a miscued first attempt, Mohamed Salah’s deputy for the afternoon planted an effort into the far corner, rounding off a perfect afternoon for the Reds.
Rounding off a perfect afternoon for the Reds, Núñez also completed his brace for the afternoon in stoppage time, giving some extra panache to a victory that moved the Merseyside outfit five points clear at the summit, while keeping Manchester City at arm's length for the time being.
As for Bournemouth, they remain sat in mid-table no-man’s-land, comfortably clear of the drop zone but well adrift of the European spots.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
