(Premier League 2023/2024): Highlights Bournemouth - Liverpool

and in possession of the longest unbeaten run in the Premier League, with huge interest to maintain in four different competitions. Today, though, is the start of temporary life without Mo Salah, there will be obvious worries about his condition on AFCON duty, reinforcements on the way back to full fitness elsewhere, but until then, grit and determination needed. A win would take Liverpool to 22 points away from Anfield, one short of the whole of last season. Bournemouth no pushovers, though, only three points from their first nine games. The landscape now is very different, 22 points they've taken from the ten games since. So Trent, Salah, Sobheslai, Endo all missing from last time out in the Premier League, it means a Premier League debut for young Connor Bradley at right-back. Harvey Elliott moves back into the midfield in his 100th senior game, Luis Diaz makes his 50th Premier League appearance, perhaps on the right side, usually occupied by Salah, Nunes and Jota, complete the forward line. Be interesting to see which one plays down the middle. Bournemouth do have problems, Adam Smith and Milos Kerkes added to a lengthy roll call in Bournemouth's treatment room, Lloyd Kelly was struggling to make this one, only on the bench. Antoine Semenyo, Dango Otara are away with Ghana, and Burkino Faso at AFCON. James Hill, back from alone at Blackburn, straight into the starting XI, three of their usual back four are missing. Wind and rain, Sunday afternoon, late kick-off, Bournemouth against Liverpool. Nothing to speak of yet, but two teams that are right on the front foot. The much-talked-about Dominic Solanke. Cook's ball round the corner for Sinisterra. Back comes Harvey Elliott. Second corner of the game over on that far side this time. Enjoying the time of his life, Dominic Solanke's got over 40 per cent of Bournemouth's goals this season, how he would love one against his former employers. An out-swinger, looked likely, Tavernier with the short one. It was fired in this time, and it was Alisson Becker who had to be alive once again. Well, it's a couple of corners that have been really varied, obviously this again working from the training ground. Nearly pays dividends as well. Alisson Becker has to make sure. Here's Alexis McAllister again, find some rage perhaps? Keeper was making it look slightly closer than it was, Neto. Liverpool want McAllister to pick up new spaces a lot more in this game. You can see that nobody really comes out to Alexis McAllister, he's allowed to run with the ball more or less straight to the 18-yard box, not far off the edge of the 18-yard box, but it's a poor effort in the end. McAllister finds a way to Diaz, Diaz has Spurs opening up on that right side, it caught a deflection on its way through. Maybe not the right option in the end, just according to Diogo Jota. Canate looks for that run of Diogo Jota, feels the presence of Mepham, and it was almost the most audacious of attempts there from Darwin Nunes. It's a lovely ball by Canate, it's a good run by Diogo Jota, he's looking for that little bit of support, doesn't find it, and in the end that semi-half turn gets himself a little bit away from Mepham, allows that cross in there. Difficult chance from Nunes' point of view. Shooting opportunity here from Ryan Christie. No, they worked it really well, Curtis Jones just sold himself, got done by the dummy, totally got taken out the game, and in the end, a bit like Liverpool's efforts at goal, it's been a little bit weak. Liverpool players felt he handled that as he controlled it. Smart feet and Kluivert, danger here for Liverpool, right across the face of goal. Any time the ball comes across a six-yard box like this, you are a little bit concerned, they work it really well. Kluivert's there, just fires it over there, Liverpool have got bodies to match the runners, but had Bournemouth had just another runner coming in at the back post, certainly that was an empty net, it was a goal straight away. Never, ever in danger of underestimating how good this Bournemouth threat can be, certainly not after last season anyway. Curtis Jones, bit of space now for Jota, Jota picks Darwin Nunes! We knew he'd get the opportunity sooner or later. That's his 100th senior goal in football, no defences safe, nine for the season to add to his ten assists. There is no safe place in the Premier League with Darwin Nunes around. It might look a simple tap-in for Darwin Nunes, but the build-up was really, really clever, and Darwin Nunes on this occasion gets on the end of it and finishes it. It starts there, that's a little bit scruffy, but this is all from here on in, lovely little build by Curtis Jones, and the first-time pass by Diogo Jota. If you're in a forward position, sometimes if you take a touch, that just for a second, everything closes up. He doesn't take the touch, he plays it first time, hence the reason that Darwin Nunes has got so much time and space inside the 18-yard box, and it's all about the finish, it's all about the quality, can he find the bottom corner? He finds the back of the net, and is he happy about it? And the away support certainly have taken enough encouragement inside this first six or seven minutes of the second half. Goal from Nunes, changing the focus, and goalscorer back on the ball again now, looking to take on Max Aarons. Nunes does find a way, cross with his left foot, in comes Connor Bradley! What a story that would have been. How well did Nunes do? And he was close, wasn't he? GARY GILLESPIE Well, he does exceptionally well, Darwin Nunes stands up Max Aarons, and a header from the youngster Connor Bradley. Opportunity maybe now for Bradley, brings a brilliant save out of Neto that time. Christie dispossessing Curtis Jones. Long-searching one, Kelly looking for Solanke. Solanke looking for a mistake from Liverpool's captain, and he's out of luck this time. Liverpool need this to stick to Darwin Nunes here at least. Liverpool do have men forward, ball forward for Diogo Jota, who makes no mistake. Tenth goal of the season, this man is worth his weight in goal, and how big a goal will that be for Liverpool? Two to the good. GARY GILLESPIE Well, when you've lost your main goalscorer in the form of Mohamed Salah, you need somebody to step up to the plate, and let's face it, both Darwin Nunes and Diogo Jota have done just that. All credit to Darwin Nunes here, he makes himself a nuisance, he wins the ball there, and then it's just a lovely little pass, always inviting, right into the path of Diogo Jota from Cody Gakpo. It's an invite just to go and hit it first time. Neto won't be too happy with himself there to be beat on the near post. It's absolutely inch-perfect from Diogo Jota, comes in off the post, and Liverpool get that second goal, give them a little bit of breathing space. GARY GILLESPIE Can of Radley making his way backwards as Bournemouth make their way forward through Brookes. Aarons on the overlap to good ball in as well to Dominic Solanke, perhaps should have taken it first time. GARY GILLESPIE I've got quite a bit of space down this right-hand side as Brookes tries to play it in with the outside of his left foot. For once it goes past Virgil van Dijk, but it was a difficult opportunity for Solanke. GARY GILLESPIE All that experience out on the pitch, and they have the likes of Owen Beck back amongst the substitutes again, who of course was brought back from his loan spelt at Dundee, he's done exceptionally well, he'd be in the thoughts. Aarons comes forward, really good touch, second opportunity to get it into the box, and Solanke was on the swing. It was very swiftly dealt with by Big Ebu Kanati, who gets the congratulations of his captain. GARY GILLESPIE I just wanted to pass the book to Max Aarons, he does exceptionally well, the first touch is a good one, second touch is absolutely sublime. Instead of hitting it on his own, he tries to find Dominic Solanke, but Kanati is alive to it. You can see what he's trying to do with the full-back, and in fairness, when you look at the replay, had it not been for Kanati's outstretched leg, Solanke would have had a shot at a goal. GARY GILLESPIE I mentioned before about the youthful exuberance on Liverpool's bench, there is some decent news on the way, certainly in terms of the cavalry that Jurgen Klopp might be able to count on. Stick with this one for the moment as Bournemouth come forward. But, yeah, Sobhoslai, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, all hoping for some time in full training next week. Ball forward here for Nunes to chase, Cody Gakpo joining in. As is Gravenberg, Diogo Jota wanted it on the edge of the box, the cross was incoming for Cody Gakpo. Opportunity perhaps for Bradley. Jota on the second opportunity! A ridiculous finish, and that should be that from Liverpool's point of view. Fortune sometimes favours the brave, and there's no braver than Liverpool's number 20. Bournemouth nil, Liverpool three. GARY GILLESPIE Well, shall we give him the benefit of the doubt that he meant that? Possibly not. But that was a really good move from Liverpool, started off by the midfield players, the two Dutchmen combined there really well, setting Darwin Nunes away down the left-hand side here, lovely little first-time pass, say it so often, if you can make that first-time pass it does cause defenders all sorts of problems, and Darwin Nunes, isolated, one-on-one with Zabarni, gets to the by-line, it's not the best cross in the world, the full-back on the other side follows it up, and then gets two bites of the cherry, and the last person you want to give two bites of the cherry to is the Portuguese international Diogo Jota, and what a finish again. First one was at the near post, this goes across the goalkeeper, and again it's the ability to react to the mistake, and he's on it like a flash, he's the quickest to react. That 1-0 defeat here 14 months ago, there was also that crazy 4-3 game you might remember in the second season of Jurgen Klopp, Liverpool 2-0 up inside the first 20-odd minutes, and then conceded three in the last 15 to lose the game 4-3, but it has been a ground that's been good to Liverpool. Big chance this for Brookes, though, who just tried to chip it over the right hand of Alisson Becker. Miscalculated it massively, the Warrington Borough midfielder, former Man City man. That was the first opportunity they've had, probably a clear-cut chance in the course of the game, and again Alisson Becker, give him his due, he comes out and makes himself a big obstacle. I just wondered if Brookes had fainted to take it round him, I think that would have been the better choice. How cool was the captain? Here's Owen Beck with a chance to force his name on. Bournemouth's afternoon. Gravenberg. Joe Gomez wanted it switched to the other side, Gakpo might get the chance now. McAllister. Gomez's cross in is a good one for Nunes! Wonderful finish. The fourth wonderful finish we've seen this afternoon, an assist for Joe Gomez as well. And the man that just doesn't give any Premier League defence a moment's peace is at it again. Well, they've absolutely blitzed Bournemouth in this second period, it was a lovely ball by Joe Gomez, I was gonna give him a little bit of credit, but without this delivery I was still gonna give him credit, I think he's been absolutely outstanding in recent games, and in this game he's been absolutely fantastic, both at left full-back and right full-back, and he's made that goal for Darwin Nunes. Any sort of contact, the big Uruguayan's got to hit the back of the net, it's a lovely little touch, it's not an easy one, it comes out the sky more or less on the half-volley, but it's the quality of the ball from Joe Gomez that actually makes it, and Darwin Nunes gets his second to equal Diogo Jota. Probably Clarke was willing, Liverpool haven't given this up yet, almost for Cade Gordon. And at last, this wonderful Liverpool away win is brought to an end, they go five clear of Manchester City, two goals for Diogo Jota, two goals for big Darwin Nunes, and perhaps that statement Liverpool performance certainly in the second half that they were looking for. Jota was wonderful for the Reds here this afternoon, all smiles, and it's ended here. Bournemouth nil, Liverpool four. Face now for Jota, Jota picks Darwin Nunes! We knew he'd get the opportunity sooner or later. That's his 100th senior goal in football. Thank you.