EPL: Liverpool Spank Bournemouth 3-0
Mohamed Salah’s 40th goal of the season helped Liverpool to a routine Premier League win over Bournemouth and moved them to within a point of second-placed Manchester United.
The hosts made the perfect start when Sadio Mane followed up his own header to prod the ball past Cherries keeper Asmir Begovic.
Salah nonchalantly headed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s pass over Begovic in the second half for his 30th in the league, before Roberto Firmino netted his 25th of the campaign to confirm a fifth win in six games for Jurgen Klopp’s team.
Bournemouth, who did not test the Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius until Andrew Surman’s late shot, remain 11th on 38 points.
After knocking Manchester City out of the Champions League 5-1 on aggregate on Tuesday, this fixture at home to Eddie Howe’s side had a feel of after the Lord Mayor’s show about it for the hosts.
However, Klopp’s side did not rest on their laurels and found a rhythm and intensity the visitors struggled to match throughout.
During a dominant first half, Liverpool created 10 goalscoring opportunities to Bournemouth’s one and Mane’s 18th goal of the season ultimately laid the foundations for a comfortable evening.
By full-time, Liverpool had monopolised the ball with 618 passes to the visitors’ 375 as they eased down with the outcome assured.
Before Saturday, Julian Dicks was the last Liverpool player to score at Anfield on the day of a Grand National in 1994 – but Salah’s appearance on the scoresheet against Bournemouth had an air of inevitability about it.
The Egyptian has now netted eight goals in his past five games and is closing in on the 47-goal mark set by Ian Rush in 1983-84.
However, while it took Rush 65 games to reach his total, Salah has got within seven of the former Wales international having played 20 fewer games.
The 25-year-old’s goals and assists have earned the Reds 15 points this term – more than any other Premier League player – so is it any wonder he is strong contender for the Professional Footballers’ Association Players’ Player of the Year?
Liverpool’s front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino have now scored 83 goals this season, while the Reds have amassed 300 goals in 148 games under Klopp.
