Klopp request finally met
Jurgen Klopp made clear in his programme notes that he and his players could not look for any excuses for recent performances, insisting that ‘only we can make things better.’
If the Liverpool manager was looking for a response against Bournemouth, he certainly received that at Anfield. Slow out of the blocks in recent weeks, the Reds’ intensity was clear to see on and off the pitch from the get-go as the Kop belted out ‘Poor Scouser Tommy’' and Luis Diaz opened the scoring inside three minutes.
Conceding the first goal in each of their last seven Premier League matches was a statistic the Reds simply had to put right on Saturday afternoon - and the outpouring of emotion was clear to see as this wretched streak was ended by Diaz.
After a VAR check on his opening goal was completed, the former Porto winger responded by telling those situated in the Main Stand to further crank up the noise levels inside Anfield.
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Diaz dazzles again
If there’s one player who came out of Liverpool’s opening three league fixtures with any form of credit in the bank, it was Diaz.
The Colombian saw a goal ruled out on the opening day against Fulham and made sure he was on the scoresheet one week later against Crystal Palace courtesy of a sublime individual goal.
Things remained the same at Anfield for the visit of Bournemouth, who became the latest side to struggle with the explosive nature of the 25-year-old. Giving away a foul just 13 minutes into the match after hounding defender Chris Mepham was an early indication of his restless nature.
Moments later a no-look pass in midfield followed as Diaz truly began to turn on the style .He ended the afternoon with two goals to his name, though no player could match the intensity being offered by the Reds’ January recruit both in and out of possession.
Confidence restored
After three weeks of being questioned, Liverpool finally found their rhythm against Bournemouth. Devoid of ideas in attack against Crystal Palace and Manchester United in particular, confidence was flowing throughout the team as the Reds ran riot.
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk were two players who came under scrutiny for their performances against United, though were operating with a swagger as Liverpool’s season was well and truly kick-started.
First, Alexander-Arnold let fly from range to find the top left corner before Van Dijk, too, got on the scoresheet when rising highest inside the area from a corner.
Flick passes were a theme of the first 45 minutes, with Andy Robertson attempting to set up Diaz with a back-heeled ball just before the break. The Scot failed to execute this move but there were no groans from the crowd, who were struggling to keep up with the pace of proceedings.
Title reminder
No stranger to being the underdog in title races with Manchester City of recent years, Liverpool were being warned of missing out on the top four altogether by some after a slow start to the season.
It was imperative the Reds found a way to win against the Cherries, the scoreline was simply a secondary concern. Few could have imagined that Klopp's side would secure a record-equalling result, however, becoming only the third club to score nine past an opponent in the Premier League era.
Don’t count Liverpool out of the title race at this early stage in the season - the message couldn’t be clearer.
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