Yeah, we probably should have seen this coming. Winless in their first three Premier League games, Liverpool has shown why they are still title contenders with a 9-0 win over Bournemouth.
It was only a matter of time before Liverpool broke out of their early-season slump and really hammered an opponent. First, drawing against Fulham and Crystal Palace, then going on to embarrassingly lose against arch-rivals Manchester United, would enrage any former title and Champions League-winning side. And especially Liverpool.
Though, I must say that I didn’t expect Liverpool’s impending drubbing to be that harsh.
Not only has Liverpool achieved the largest margin of victory over an opponent by any team in the Premier League within the past year, but they have also managed to equal an all-time margin of victory with their win in Premier League history.
Only three other teams, 1995 Manchester United (9-0 win over Ipswich Town), 2019 Leicester City (9-0 win over Southampton), and 2021 Manchester United (9-0 win over Southampton) have been able to absolute demolish their opponents the way Liverpool did with Bournemouth. Seeing as how Southampton only lost 1-0 to Man United today, I’m sure they’re glad they didn’t have to face the Reds this week and wind up on that infamous list a third time.
As for the game itself, I’ve got nothing to say apart from the fact that Liverpool scored early and often. This game was sealed after only 2 minutes when Luis Diaz wedged himself between two usefulness Bournemouth defenders (what else can I call them when they gave up 9?) and headed home a great Robert Firmino cross.
And then Liverpool went on to add another FOUR before halftime as Harvey Elliott scored in the 6′, Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 28′, Bobby Firmino in the 31′, and Virgil Van Dijk in the 45′.
It was a humiliation of Bournemouth in every sense of the word. Liverpool dominated ball possession (71%-29%), had 15 more shots (19-5), 10 more shots on target (12-2), and had nearly 3 TIMES more passes (678-285). Funnily enough, with Chris Mepham scoring an own goal in the 46′, Robert Firmino adding his second in the 61′, Fabio Carvalho scoring his first Liverpool goal in the 80′, and Luis Diaz also adding his second 85′, Mo Salah failed to find the net.
So, in other words, Liverpool’s most feared goal-scorer failed to score in a 9-0 win for his team. I found that to be a little ironic.
Anyways, as for Bournemouth, I think we can all safely say that this team is going down. Yes, it’s early in the season and the Cherries have played very tough opponents, but these players are Championship level guys at best. Scott Parker will perform a miracle if he manages to keep Bournemouth from finishing dead last, if he can last the whole season without getting sacked. That’s how bad this season is going to go for the Cherries.
Nevertheless, I still think Liverpool will struggle to catch Manchester City in the title race this season, though they were down by double-digit points in the standings last season. If they keep winning like this, then who knows, maybe they can win their 2nd Premier League title (20th overall).
Images Source: Featured Image:
