Liverpool crushed Bournemouth 9-0 on Saturday afternoon at Anfield. 9 goals match the Reds' best-ever league performance at home. They won 9-0 once before in league play, that happened way back in 1989 versus Crystal Palace.
Six different Liverpool players scored for the side. Roberto Firmino and Luis Díaz both tallied twice. Harvey Elliott, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, and Fabio Carvalho each had one. For Carvalho, it was his first goal as a Red. There was also a Bournemouth own goal in there.
A First Half Goal Feast
The first goal came in 3rd minute off of Díaz's head. Goal number 2 was in the 6th minute. That one was from Harvey Elliott and it was a magical left-footed strike. We had to wait until the 28th minute for the 3rd goal but, boy was it worth it.
Trent Alexander-Arnold unleashed an absolute thunderbolt from about 5 yards outside the box that is an early goal of the year candidate. Liverpool would make it 4 in the 31st minute through Firmino's first goal. The 5th goal came in first-half stoppage time from a Virgil van Dijk header.
Saturday's match was the first time Liverpool were up 5-0 at the half at Anfield since 1958. The afternoon would only get better in the 2nd half… Or worse if you happened to be a Bournemouth fan.
More Joy in the 2nd Half
The Reds didn't waste any time picking up where they left off in the first half. Alexander-Arnold looped a cross into the Bournemouth box in the 46th minute that found the back of the net off a Bournemouth defender. At that point it was 6-0 but, you still felt like Liverpool wasn't done scoring.
In the 62nd minute, Firmino would prove those feelings correct. He put a rebound in the net to make it 7-0 Liverpool. Fabio Carvalho would begin his Liverpool goal-scoring career in the 80th minute. Liverpool's 2nd most hyped summer signing, after the suspended Darwin Núñez, smashed home the Reds' 8th goal.
Luis Díaz would finish the goals in the 85th minute. Liverpool could have had a few more goals honestly. The only Red who seemed to be off the mark was Mohamed Salah who failed to score on at least two wide-open chances.
But, why complain about what could have been when you score 9 goals? Liverpool looked like the team we've been waiting for to show up on Saturday. Let's hope they can keep up the offensive fireworks on Wednesday against Newcastle.
LFC Globe Verdict
Honestly, the score says it all. 9-0 is an absolute blowout. I think even if it were a better team against the Reds, Liverpool still would have scored a lot of goals today. I give a lot of credit to Roberto Firmino and Luis Díaz who were the best players on the pitch for a splendid Liverpool side.
However, the most credit should be given to Jürgen Klopp. His closed-door meeting yesterday afternoon clearly lit a fire under the Reds. You have to feel a little bit bad for Bournemouth because Liverpool definitely took all of their frustrations out on them today.