Reds pick apart The Cherries as their season finally takes flight
Liverpool 9 Bournemouth 0 (27th August 2022)
Liverpool 9 Bournemouth 0 (27th August 2022)
Liverpool (5) 9 (Luis Diaz 3, Harvey Elliott 6, Trent Alexander-Arnold 28, Roberto Firmino 31, Virgil van Dijk 45, Chris Mepham (OG) 46, Roberto Firmino 62, Fabio Carvalho 80 and Luis Diaz 85)
Bournemouth (0) 0
With five minutes remaining, and after having scored from yet another corner after yet again not giving up on a lost cause that forced a fatal goal scoring error from their opponents, Liverpool’s famed “Kop End” smelt blood, and as they implored their heroes in Red forward and to “Attack, Attack. Attack. Attack. Attack” they shouted as loudly now after a ninth goal as they had 82 minutes earlier when Luis Diaz had scored the game’s opening goal. Now with his second goal of the game, the Columbian maestro who had been so central in a blistering first half of fantastic attacking football had bookended an otherworldly team display that had seen his mates score 9 (nine) and without even the faintest hint of a reply from their visitors from the south coast.
The Reds season is now officially underway and whilst the injury list remains lengthy, today was a signal for the return of their famed high attacking press (and the spaces in both defence and midfield this affords), as well as the return of attacking and incisive triangles in the opponent’s half of the field and of recurring patterns throughout the field of play that earned the right to play as destructively as they did today. There was more physicality (completely absent in the recent defeat at Old Trafford) and it took until 35 minutes for Bournemouth to mix our collective sporting metaphors and “lay a glove” on Liverpool. When they finally did, they hunted Luis Diaz to muscle the playmaker off the ball repeatedly and when the Colombian refused to bow or bend to their aggression, “Cherries” right back Adam Smith clattered into Reds captain Jordan Henderson and was rightly yellow carded for his late tackle. The visitors were trying to get a foothold in the game, even at a then 4–0 down, but this was a return to the glory of team goals, pressure goals, not giving up goals, and one particularly spectacular goal from a young Liverpudlian who yet again poked his detractors in the eye with a fantastic all round display.
More than anything, today was also a return of whom Jurgen Klopp regards as the best defensive midfielder in the world, the Brazilian Fabinho, who returned to steady a rocking ship next to his captain Jordan Henderson who also returned to his old self today after a very below par display in the defeat to Manchester United. There was also a return of the pugnacious swagger that suits Luis Diaz so well, both defensive full backs had a brilliant afternoon of either goals or the assisting of them and even though he didn’t score, and even more importantly he didn’t have to, Mo Salah was constantly involved, buzzing, excitable, involved and stretching the attacking forward line at every opportunity, as well as being centrally involved in so many of the “triangles” all across the pitch that released wave after wave of Red attacking threat, menace and intent.
I normally write these match appraisals on a 60–40 split and often in favour of the Reds opponents regardless of the score, but that would be incredibly difficult today as from the game’s very first kick onward, as we’ll see, the visitors from Bournemouth were simply swept aside on a Red attacking tide. Welsh International striker Kieffer Moore looped a tame header into the hands of Liverpool goalkeeping custodian Alisson Becker and Scottish International midfielder Ryan Christie hit the outside of Becker’s post later in a first half that by the time Moore tamely headed into Becker’s arms his team were already 2–0 down, and by the time Christie hit the post with 8 minutes of the first half remaining Bournemouth were now trailing 4–0, it wasn’t even half-time yet, and there was still time for Liverpool to score a fifth goal, and again it came from a corner. But that’s getting ahead of ourselves.
Bournemouth once famously scored immediately from the kick-off of a game that became known as a “Quick Kick-Off” and which was soon replicated in footballing countries around the world. Today they kicked off at Anfield but as soon as they lost the ball and the early initiative they were forced into a “backs to the wall” display, forced to play the entirety of the game inside their own half of the field and incredibly, despite losing 9–0 and conceding 9 goals, “Cherries” goalkeeper Mark Travers had an almost faultless afternoon and couldn’t be blamed for any of the goals flying past him. In fact without him, the Reds could have swept into double goal scoring figures with ease.
With the kick off and early initiative lost, Liverpool were 2–0 up within 6 minutes and 4–0 up on the half hour mark of a game they had by the scruff of its neck and were refusing to let go. Luis Diaz’s display of earnest industry, enthusiasm, energy, zest and an important and imposing physicality earned him his 2 goals today and whilst his second with 5 minutes to go was a fairly simple header (from yet another corner), his first was a brilliant headed piece of skill as he directed a firm header past goalkeeper Mark Travers in the visitors goal. What mustn’t be overlooked in the lead up to the Reds first goal was the pressure that led to Jordan Henderson winning a scruffy ball and releasing Roberto Firmino who after an exchange between himself and Mo Salah, coolly and deftly flicked a cross that needed Diaz’s athleticism mid air to re-direct a surprisingly powerful header past Travers and just 3 minutes later, the Bournemouth goalkeeper was helpless again as his team fell behind 2–0.
Roberto Firmino was again involved, his loose first touch allowing Harvey Elliott to continue his forward run and curl a beautiful stinging drive into the far corner of Bournemouth’s goal, but this was justice for a brilliant first half display from the 19 year old and a signal for the tears that often accompany a player’s first ever league goal, and especially so for a Liverpool fan scoring at Anfield. Elliott’s goal really capped off an incredible 45 minutes from the young man who, along with Mo Salah, Roberto Firmino, Luis Diaz and Trent Alexander-Arnold formed continual triangles and one-two passes that carved open the visitors crumbling defence time and time again. Firmino was involved again as even when the Reds gave the ball away, they scrambled to win it back and through a combination of Trent Alexander-Arnold and his captain Jordan Henderson, Alexander-Arnold made up for his mistake by winning the ball back, exchanging a neat one-two or “wall” pass with Firmino, before unleashing a footballing “screamer” flying past a helpless Mark Travers in the Bournemouth goal.
Roberto Firmino’s deft flicks and touches were coalescing with the enterprise and energy around him and after an exchange between Harvey Elliott and Mo Salah, the Egyptian International’s cross was deflected and where the Bournemouth defence dithered, Firmino didn’t, and he simply helped himself to a simple and thoroughly deserved goal and the visitors were melting in the afternoon of a Liverpool sun. On the cusp of half-time, cue another corner forced through enterprise and non-stop effort, and cue a beautifully outwardly curling corner from Andy Robertson, a towering header from his defensive mate Virgil van Dijk that left Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers helpless, again, and the fifth goal of the afternoon had duly arrived.
A minute after the resumption of play in the second half saw 5 goals become 6 conceded by a bedraggled and tired looking visitors defence, but again, please do not overlook the fantastic tackle from Joe Gomez that forced a loose ball that retained pressure on the Bournemouth defence mere seconds after the half-time break. Salah picked up the loose ball, fed Alexander-Arnold, and his wicked curling cross intended for Luis Diaz at the far post was met by the desperate defence of Chris Mepham and his unfortunate touch flew past his helpless goalkeeper for an “own goal”.
16 minutes later, 6 became 7 for a rampant Reds and a goal that typified the afternoon. Yes it was from yet another corner, this time quickly taken by Andy Robertson and after exchanging passes with substitute (and soon to be scorer) Fabio Carvalho, Robertson’s curling cross forced a slight fumble then a good save, and then helplessness again for the visiting goalkeeper as his reactions prevented an immediate poaching goal from Roberto Firmino, but he was unable to do anything about the rebound into an empty net. Yes another corner had led to a Liverpool goal but again, please do not discount the 30 or so seconds that led to the goal, or rather the corner that led to the goal. As was so often demonstrated this afternoon, the Reds swept upfield with abandon, covering the length of the field in a single move and here, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s raking forward ball found his target in Mo Salah and although the Egyptian only forced a corner, it was an attacking corner from a defensive position in seconds, and seconds later, a quickly taken corner that led to yet another goal for Liverpool.
The Reds 8th goal covered half of the length of the field in just three touches of the ball and probably just as few timely seconds. Trent Alexander-Arnold was again involved and again with a long raking cross field pass that beat a retreating Bournemouth defence, but not the first touch of substitute Kostas Tsimkas and nor the first time drive volley of Fabio Carvalho that again left goalkeeper Mark Travers grasping for thin air as the ball flew into the corner of his net. 5 minutes later, another pressurised attack and refusal to give up led to a corner and yet another corner led to yet another headed goal from Luis Diaz that left the “Kop End” of Anfield bellowing for a 10th goal that almost came via a neat one-two between Mo Salah and James Milner, but Bournemouth goalkeeper Mark Travers beat Milner’s shot behind for a corner.
Perhaps the only surprise of the afternoon was that the wanted 10th goal didn’t come from that particular corner.
9–0 and records broken galore, a Premier League era record equalled, and the first time the Reds have scored 9 in a league game since 1989 and the destruction of a Crystal Palace team that would later beat the Reds 4–3 in a FA Cup Semi-Final that led to your humble narrator in floods of tears in the April sunshine of a public park full of the human joys of spring around him!
Whenever the name “Alan Pardew” is spoken I have to head to my local church for some holy water and an ad-hoc exorcism!
But not today. The Reds have risen from their slumbers and officially started their 2022/2023 campaign for the “Bread and Butter” of the English League Title. It’s a longer road than normal this season and it’s also going to be a bumpy and a messy one too this season as the injury list is as equally long.
But not today. Today was for some incredible (and often missed in our blasé times) “PlayStation Football” of intense high press and domination before the screw is turned, the play condensed in their opponent’s half of the field, and of triangles forming all over the field, a first line of defence immaculately observed, and an attacking threat from all over the field that relentlessly wanted to score over and over again.
Bravo.
Newcastle United on Wednesday night should be a humdinger now!
Thanks for reading. My archives are bulging with all things Liverpool FC or alternatively, here are my three most recently published articles on the football team I adore:
Los Blancos Liverpool beaten at their own game by the Devils in Red
Manchester United 2 Liverpool 1medium.com
Liverpool 1 Crystal Palace 1
10 man Reds scrap for a point in another forgettable gamemedium.com
Fulham 2 Liverpool 2
A point gained beside the River Thames for an out of sorts Redsmedium.com