Where would they be without Mane? Winners & losers from Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth

in , , , , , , ,

Liverpool return to the top of the Premier League as they cruise past Bournemouth to win 3-0 at Anfield. 

Liverpool dominated this one and goals from Sadio Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum had the Cherries all but beat in the first half. The Reds continued their domination after the break with a goal just after the restart; a superb finish from Mohamed Salah.

Liverpool’s last 14 Premier League goals have been scored by either Sadio Mane (5), Roberto Firmino (5) or Mohamed Salah (4), as their formidable attacking trident romped again this afternoon.

The Reds’ win returns them to the top of the table and places renewed pressure on Manchester City who face a resurgent Chelsea side at the Etihad on Sunday.

Bournemouth have only defeated Liverpool once in 14 attempts; a 4-3 Premier League home win in December 2016. Normal service resumed on Saturday as the cherries go six games without a win on the road.

Here’s four winners and two losers from Liverpool’s victory at Anfield.

Winners

James Milner

The Liverpool captain showed his versatility again against Bournemouth. Starting at right-back, the retired England international put in a great shift for his side. Always a threat going forward, comfortable in possession and rock solid in defence; Milner was impressive everywhere this afternoon.

Along with Andrew Robertson on the opposite side of the pitch, Milner took a wide position on the flanks, stretching the Cherries’ already frail defence. This approach worked well for the Reds and Milner got an assist when his first half cross allowed Sadio Mane to nod in an effort from close range.

Sadio Mane

Mane topped off a great performance with a superb goal. He’s now scored in four consecutive Premier League games for the first time in his career during a single season. Even though Mane’s first-half goal appeared to be offside, it was precisely what his performance deserved, as the Senegalese forward worked tirelessey in the final third at Anfield. Mane linked up well with Robertson and Milner as he drifted across the Reds’ front line and was equally industrious down the middle, too. His efforts paid off when he rose to meet the ball with a bullet header, which left Artur Boruc rooted to the spot without a prayer of making a stop.

His brilliant performance continued in the second half when he initiated an intricate, and fast paced, attack to hand Liverpool’s third of the game via a wonderful finish from Salah. He was unlucky not to secure a brace when finding himself completely unmarked 10 minutes after the restart, but he couldn’t keep his header between the sticks.

Georginio Wijnaldum 

Wijnaldum doesn’t make the cut here because his performance was particularly brilliant – although it was good. He’s here because of his sensational first-half finish.

After Robertson lifted the ball over the Cherries’ back-line, Wijnaldum brought the ball down with a single touch before leaving Boruc completely helpless for the second time of the afternoon with a sublime chip that caused an eruption of excitement on social media.

With Anthony Martial’s superb individual effort against Fulham in the Premier League’s such-time kick-off, picking a goal of the day will be a difficult task for pundits.

Subscribe to Squawka’s Youtube channel: sqwk.at/Squawka-Sub

Naby Keita

Keita played remarkably well against Bournemouth. He was instrumental going forward, initiating many of the Reds’ attacks and worked diligently in defence to break up play before the Cherries could even conceive of returning fire at Anfield.

The Guinea midfielder made more tackles (6) than any other player on the pitch this afternoon as he was unplayable in the middle of the park at times. Keita’s great performance was not rewarded with his first Liverpool goal, however. He had a golden opportunity to get off the mark, but he blazed the ball over the bar, slipping as he struck the ball from 12 yards out. Nevertheless, it was a great performance from the 23-year-old.

Losers

Nathan Ake

Perhaps it’s unfair to single out Nahan Ake, as Bournemouth’s defence was completely out of sync at Anfield. However, the Dutchman did have a howler this afternoon. He was caught out for both of the Reds’ first half goals and was skinned by Firminho in the run up to their third. Bournemouth fans will argue that Mane’s opener should have been ruled offside, but even so, Ake was caught out of position and completely miss timed his header, which sailed over his head onto Mane’s who almost ripped the net with the rocket that left his forehead.

Ten minutes later Ake was tasked with containing Wijnaldum who was played through on goal by a brilliantly-timed pass from Robertson. Ake seemed to momentarily hesitate and that was all the time his compatriot needed to control the ball and chip it beautifully into the back of the net.

Manchester City

Jurgen Klopp conceded that the title race could be decided by goal difference at the end of the season. With the Reds drawing in consecutive Premier League games, City manager Pep Guardiola would have been licking his lips at his opponents apparent insecurity ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.

City currently sit at the top of the table and would have been hoping their title rivals would’ve botched their game in hand, easing the pressure when they entertain Chelsea on Sunday. There was no such luck for the Citizens, as Liverpool return to the top of the league with a comfortable win.

The post Where would they be without Mane? Winners & losers from Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth appeared first on Squawka News.



From Squawka News http://bit.ly/2SD9qox
Labels: , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)