Liverpool 3, Bournemouth 0: First Thoughts

What nerves? Liverpool came out flying against Bournemouth.

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Liverpool 3 - Bournemouth 0

Liverpool: Mané 22’, Wijnaldum 34’, Salah 48’
AFC Bournemouth: 0

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• PRE-MATCH: Trent and Henderson are on the bench, but Liverpool welcomes back Gini Wijnaldum to the starting XI.
• Five minutes in and the team is beginning to click in the way that we’ve been used to this season. Hopefully we’ll be seeing some goals come from it soon.
• It’s great to have Gini back in the mix. 10 minutes or so in and that’s abundantly clear.
• Firmino has a good chance assisted by Mané and saved by Boruc, then Salah gets another shot off. The Reds are inching closer.
• GOAAAAALLLL!!!!!!!! Mané 22’ - Finally the breakthrough happens, but it’s Mané who scores for the fourth game in a row. Let’s see if they can build on this goal now instead of throwing it away like they’ve been doing recently.
• Reds are keeping up the pressure after the goal. Gini fumbles a chance to make it 2-0, but the attack continues.
• GOAAALLLLLLL! Wijnaldum 34’ - If anyone deserves a goal today, it’s Gini, who has revitalized the Liverpool midfield in 35 minutes. And what a finish it was too! He takes one touch to control the pass by Robertson, and then finishes with a perfect chip over the keeper. And that’s another assist from Andy Robertson, who has made himself indispensable this season.
• What a miss! The last minute of the half, Salah nearly makes it 3-0 with an attempted volley of his own, if not for an excellent save by Boruc at full stretch. My, oh my, if that had gone in...
• HALFTIME: Now THIS is the team that Liverpool fans have come to expect when they whistle blows, especially at Anfield. The scoreline flatters Bournemouth, and if the Reds keep up this high intensity, they might be able to score a couple more.
• GOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!! Salah 48’ - The second half had barely even kicked off before Salah scored Liverpool’s third goal, thanks to a quick break and a sweet, selfless backheel from Firmino.
• Mané misses what would have been his second headed goal of the afternoon after Liverpool apply some pressure in Bournemouth’s half to win back possession.
• Another break with Salah sprinting madly down the wing, but the cross is barely missed by Firmino.
• ACK! Salah hits the crossbar after a sensational bit of footwork to get himself in position.
• And after that, the crowd gets another boost when Trent Alexander-Arnold gets subbed in for the last 15 minutes. Welcome back, Trent!
• Trent gets stuck back in immediately, as yet another fast break takes him and Salah streaking towards the Bournemouth goal. Trent’s pass to Keita is a little heavy and the chance goes wasted.
• Liverpool are trying, but Liverpool can’t seem to get that fourth goal into the back of the net. Good to see Trent back in the thick of things though.
• FINAL: Some day soon we’ll have to worry about all of the missed chances Liverpool have had in this game, but today is not that day. A great win all around, and seeing Gini and Trent back on the pitch was a palpable morale boost for the whole team.

We’ll be back shortly to take an in-depth look at everything that happened in today’s game with the full recap. Until then, let us know your take on the ups and downs of the match in the comments, and if you haven’t already, join the community on the Liverpool Offside, where we’ll have full coverage and lively in-game discussion for every match this season.

Source: liverpooloffside.sbnation.com