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Score: AFC Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool
Goal scorers: Philippe Coutinho 20', Dejan Lovren 26', Mohammad Salah 44', Roberto Firmino 66'
Liverpool returned to winning ways with a thumping 4-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium. Three points against the Cherries meant that Liverpool are back among the Champions League spots whereas the loss has left Bournemouth just one point above the relegation zone.
Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring for Liverpool with a brilliant solo run. Dejan Lovren doubled the lead with a brave header while Mohammad Salah capped his customary goal in every game to give the Reds a 3-0 halftime lead. Roberto Firmino put the icing on the cake and ended any hopes of a come back for the home side.
Without wasting further time, let's head right into the 5 talking points that emerged from Liverpool's humbling of Bournemouth:
#5 Jordan Henderson's redemption night
After being rested against Everton the other week, a lot had been said about Henderson's absence in the starting lineup. Jurgen Klopp had to defend his team's captain in his press conferences to remind his captain's influence on the team. The midfielder failed to impress against the Baggies (so did the entire team) but got on the act against Bournemouth.
Last night, Henderson looked energetic and started the game brilliantly. His passing was imperious and he often took one touch less than usual to move the proceedings forward. Playing alongside Georginio Wijnaldum and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Henderson got more opportunities to move forward and showed his true qualities of a box to box midfielder.
Henderson made the second most passes by a Liverpool player and had a 90% passing accuracy. This performance will give his confidence a world of good as Liverpool need its senior players to put their foot down and take control of the situation when needed.
Jordan Henderson is one of them and though he has not done that effectively on a consistent basis, his performance against Bournemouth can be taken as a fine start.
#4 Philippe Coutinho at his influencing best
After a disappointing outing last time out against West Bromwich Albion, a big performance was needed from the Brazilian. At the south coast, Coutinho gave a fine example of his qualities by controlling the game from the word go.
Coutinho scored one and assisted another, but in reality, should have scored or created even more. His free kick in the first half agonizingly missed the target as it hit the post and his little dink pass, which if scored by Mohammad Salah, could have been the assist of the season.
Coutinho eventually scored after a good link-up play with Andrew Robertson saw him go on a mazy run before scoring past Begovic at his near post. He then delivered a pinpoint cross to Roberto Firmino as Liverpool scored their fourth and grabbed all three points on the night.
Other than his exploits with the ball, Coutinho can now be said as one of the leaders of the pack and is certainly behaving like one. After recently captaining the Liverpool side in the Champions League, Coutinho is often seen encouraging those around him and at the club, the Brazilian is now seen as much more than just the chief orchestrator of this side.
#3 Bournemouth's weaknesses were badly exposed
Despite a decent time in the summer transfer market, Bournemouth and Eddie Howe have failed to get going this season which is reflected in their lowly league position. The Cherries face Manchester City next and are just one point above the relegation zone.
Bournemouth had few decent spells of possession in the game but a lack of a commanding midfielder made them fail to capitalize on Liverpool's shortcomings. The hosts needed a solid second half performance to put some pressure on the Liverpool backline but just one shot on target in the final 45 minutes made the Reds' defence look better than what it actually is.
Josh King's injury completely took the fizz out of Bournemouth's attacking intent whereas Jermaine Defoe's barren run in front of goal continues to haunt the struggling side. In defence, the Bournemouth defenders gave Liverpool too much time and space on the ball to work their way to Begovic's goal.
Coutinho's solo goal is a fine example of this callous approach, three to four Bournemouth players could have closed down the Brazilian but a lack of confidence or a lack of clear strategy led them to do what Coutinho exactly wanted.
Eddie Howe and this Cherries side are too good to be embroiled in a scrap at the back and must go back to the drawing board to sort themselves out.
#2 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain dazzles on the night
The former Arsenal man has had a slow start to life at Merseyside but slowly but surely, he's settling in well. Chamberlain was adjudged as the man of the match against Bournemouth with the youngster impressing at great lengths from his favoured midfield role.
With Adam Lallana back in the fray, Chamberlain needed a big influencing display to convince Jurgen Klopp and he did exactly that! Along with Coutinho, he had the most key passes (4) in the match, made three interceptions and gained possession a staggering 11 times.
He also assisted Salah's goal and had a passing accuracy of 83%. His eagerness to make things happen is what made him win the player of the match accolade.
After the game, in a post-match interview alongside Philippe Coutinho, the latter was asked about FC Barcelona's interest. Chamberlain rushed to his teammate's defence and highlighted Coutinho's professionalism.
He pointed out the unfairness of the question and was widely appreciated for his stance by the Liverpool supporters. Looks like Chamberlain is finally winning it, on and off the field!
#1 Rotation is the new buzz word at Liverpool Football Club
Last season, Liverpool were title contenders until the new year brought in a number of injuries which derailed their entire league campaign. Jurgen Klopp seems to have learnt his lessons, and since the past couple of weeks has been heavily rotating his side to have them fresh and ready for the long season ahead.
Klopp has been questioned by many for his rotation policy but the results from his plan completely negate their argument. Despite heavy rotation, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 12 games in all competitions, and are keeping the pressure on Chelsea and Manchester United.
Klopp made 4 changes from the side that started against the Baggies with Sadio Mane and Emre Can being given complete rest. The duo should now be ready to fire on all cylinders for Friday's all-important clash against Arsenal at the Emirates.
Along with them, Salah was taken off 20 minutes before the final whistle with Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho soon following suit to keep the trio fresh for Friday. The plan from Klopp is clear and as long as the results are falling in their favour, no one's complaining.
