Roberto Firmino ran riot as Liverpool cruised to a 9-0 win over Bournemouth at Anfield to get their first Premier League victory this season.
Liverpool had struggled to be an imposing unit in the early stages of the 2022/23 Premier League season thus far. But that changed on Saturday as the Reds made a blistering start to the game and went ahead through a Luis Diaz header just a couple of minutes in, with Roberto Firmino crossing the ball for the Colombian international.
Firmino provided the assist for Liverpool’s second in the sixth minute, but Harvey Elliott deserves the props for the goal. The same holds true for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who collected the ball from Firmino before unleashing a brilliant long-range strike. Liverpool did not let up after that and scored their fourth just after the half-hour mark.
Firmino got his goal this time, scoring from point-blank range after the ball looped off Marcus Tavernier’s foot into his path. Liverpool continued to heap the pressure on Bournemouth before ending a dominant first half with their fifth goal when Virgil van Dijk headed in Andrew Robertson’s crosses.
Liverpool did not drop the intensity after the break, with Chris Mepham scoring the sixth for them with an own goal by converting Alexander-Arnold’s cross. And exactly half an hour after his first strike, Firmino scored again, appearing in the right place at the right time for a tap-in.
An incredible afternoon at Anfield ?#LIVBOU pic.twitter.com/f4zJO7ipIm
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 27, 2022
Liverpool continued to push forward to find more moments of joy, which they did by scoring twice in five minutes. Fabio Carvalho first netted his first Liverpool goal from close range before Diaz completed his brace, with Kostas Tsimikas providing the assist on each occasion. The 9-0 win has helped Liverpool climb into the top half of the Premier League table. And The Hard Tackle now runs the rule over Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Alisson Becker: 7/10
Alisson had the best seat in the house to view Liverpool steamroll Bournemouth on Saturday. The Brazilian goalkeeper made a couple of solid saves to preserve his clean sheet and precisely played the ball out from the back.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 8/10
Alexander-Arnold had endured a tough start to the season until Saturday but looked close to his best against Bournemouth. While he faced a few nervy moments at the back, he more than made up for it on the opposite end by scoring and assisting a goal. And the long-range effort for his strike takes the cake for the “Goal of the Match”.
TRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD FROM OUTSIDE OF THE BOX ? pic.twitter.com/OTM2Ct5SWs
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 27, 2022
Joe Gomez: 7/10
Gomez barely had any defending to do on Saturday, with Liverpool on top of Bournemouth throughout the evening. But the English international made his mark by winning the ball in the build-up to the sixth goal.
Virgil van Dijk: 7/10
Like his partner at the heart of the Liverpool defence, van Dijk had an easy day at the back, even though he organised the backline effortlessly. The Dutchman took the opportunity to build play from the back and hardly misplaced a pass. And van Dijk also grabbed a goal for good measure to kick-start his campaign.
Andrew Robertson: 8/10
Robertson had looked jaded in the first few weeks, but he bounced back on Saturday with a typically dominant performance from the left flank. The Scottish international played his part in two goals, providing the assist for van Dijk with a corner before Roberto Firmino scored from a rebound following a save by Mark Travers.
Harvey Elliott: 8/10
Elliott’s stock continues to burgeon, with his performance on Saturday being impressive. The teenage prodigy scored a world-class goal from the edge of the Bournemouth box after collecting the ball from Firmino. He continued to pull the strings from the middle of the park and should have added an assist when he crossed the ball into the box to find Mohamed Salah.
2 ASSISTS IN 5 MINUTES FOR TSIMIKAS ?
This time to Diaz. 9-0 Liverpool #LIVBOU pic.twitter.com/EhFwZyI8RO
— Super Greek 2.0 (@TheSuperGreek2) August 27, 2022
Fabinho: 7/10
Fabinho revelled in Liverpool’s dominance over Bournemouth by pushing the Reds forward at every opportunity. He even created a chance for Salah with a brilliant lobbed pass, only for the Egyptian attacker to miss from close range. That was the perfect game for him to regain his rhythm and sharpness.
Jordan Henderson: 7/10
Henderson had looked off the pace in the first three games, but he stepped up superbly against Bournemouth by keeping play ticking in the middle of the park. The Liverpool captain also put in the hard yards off the ball, winning five duels before earning an early rest.
Mohamed Salah: 7/10
Salah will wonder how he did not have a goal or an assist even though Liverpool put nine past Bournemouth on Saturday while being heavily involved in most moves. But he had two brilliant chances to score, one from point-blank range and another from Fabinho’s wonderful lobbed pass. On another day, he might have grabbed a brace.
Roberto Firmino: 10/10
? Reds goals for Bobby Firmino! ? pic.twitter.com/mZq3kQJaxi
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 27, 2022
Firmino has been the shell of a player he was at his peak for months now. But the Brazilian striker rolled back the years in style on Saturday, providing the assist for the first three goals before scoring a poacher’s strike from close range. Firmino found the back of the net again in the second half by appearing in the right place at the right time.
Klopp will hope to have Firmino in this form for the foreseeable future as he looks to move on from losing Sadio Mane this summer. And if the veteran attacker performs like this next week, Darwin Nunez will have a hard time winning his spot back.
Luis Diaz: 8/10
Luis Diaz vs Bournemouth
• 44/46 (96%) passes
• 1 chance created
• 58 touches
• 2 shots
• 2 goals (=1st in game)
• 2/4 dribbles (=1st)
• 1/1 tackle
• 1 interceptionAnother brilliant performance from @LuisFDiaz19 – now our top scorer with 3 Premier League goals ? pic.twitter.com/AW2qIoS1y8
— LFC Stats (@LFCData) August 27, 2022
Diaz set the ball rolling for Liverpool by producing a brilliant header from Firmino’s cross in the third minute. The Colombian international then continued to be heavily involved in Liverpool’s exploits in the final third before rounding off the win by nodding in a corner from Kostas Tsimikas.
SUBSTITUTES
Fabio Carvalho: 7/10
Carvalho had a day to remember after replacing Elliott at half-time. The young prodigy exchanged neat interplays with Salah while looking to make his mark. And that is what he did as he scored Liverpool’s eighth with a delightful finish from close range.
Kostas Tsimikas: 7/10
2 ASSISTS IN 5 MINUTES FOR TSIMIKAS ?
This time to Diaz. 9-0 Liverpool #LIVBOU pic.twitter.com/EhFwZyI8RO
— Super Greek 2.0 (@TheSuperGreek2) August 27, 2022
Tsimikas got in on the act by delivering the assist for Liverpool’s eighth and ninth goals, linking up with Carvalho before his pinpoint delivery found Diaz. The Greek defender can give Robertson a run for his money if Klopp gives him a chance.
James Milner: N/A
Milner replaced Henderson for the game’s final quarter and helped Liverpool remain on top of Bournemouth.
Stefan Bajcetic: N/A
Bajcetic got his first taste of the Anfield atmosphere with a late cameo, and he saw plenty of the ball in the game’s final quarter moving high up the pitch.
Bobby Clark: N/A
Another youngster who got a run-out on the pitch was Clark, who looked to get in on the act in the last few minutes.
