Storm Kieran was furious when Liverpool were here in early November, winning and progressing to the Carabao Cup. There was another weather warning, Storm Isha was coming, and another strong message. Liverpool return from the winter break and are targeting the Premier League title.
Another Darwinian storm has struck. Darwin Nuñez scored the winning goal in the cup match, his goal early in the second half following one of his team's cleverest moves, tilting the game in his favor.
After the break, Nunez was very good, showing all his power and threat, and his raw instincts came to the fore as he was involved in the second goal to save the points. Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the table to five points. Although Manchester City played in extra time.
Diogo Jota finished after Nunez challenged Ilia Zabarny and substitute Kodi Gakpo played in a killer pass. It was Nunez who made the final call after Jota scored again after an initial miskick to make it 3-0. Joe Gomez's cross was beautiful, but the finish was poor and Nuñez volleyed with the outside of his right boot into the far corner.
Liverpool are fighting hard on four fronts. They prepare for the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Fulham on Wednesday night, having led 2-1 from the first leg. This is the league they want the most.
This was slow going and the first shot didn't come until the 19th minute, with Alexis Mac Allister's shot from distance not bothering Neto in the slightest. Bournemouth are in a different position now than they were in early November, when they made the necessary adjustments under manager Andoni Iraola. Pre-game stats showed they were the better team in that division over the last eight games.
They attacked Liverpool at arm's length in the first period, putting their bodies on the line when they needed to, and Neto didn't put his bodies on the line. Harvey Elliott slipped the ball to Luis Diaz from the inside right, and his cross spilled out before being blocked. He summarized the first half of manager Jurgen Klopp's team. Nuñez's volley missed the far post. “You’re just a fucking Andy Carroll,” the home crowd shouted. The Liverpool support will be happy to sing it at the end.
The big story came in the 36th minute, when Justin Kluivert tried to tackle Diaz with his eyes on the ball, but Diaz was unable to do anything and collided with his opponent's lower leg. Replays showed the situation was bad and it looked like the video assistant referee might intervene. He didn't and Kluivert got away with no yellow or red. Liverpool continued to play for some time while Dias struggled in pain, so perhaps they didn't think it was that bad at the moment. There are players who were let go this season due to similar issues.
Bournemouth were on the offensive just before half-time and, after a few shots were blocked, there was a real thrill when Luis Sinisterra fed Kluivert and set out Ryan Christie's run with a low cross. Created a moment. Frustratingly for Bournemouth, Christie was unable to get a touch at close range.
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Klopp knew his side would have to grow without two leaders, the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, who is also an injury question mark while playing in the African Cup of Nations. . The Liverpool manager was without other members in the final stages, losing Curtis Jones, but he started with Nunez on the left and Jota in the middle, a system that helped Arsenal win the FA Cup. Ta.
Klopp turned them around at the start of the second half, a decision that immediately paid off. The breakthrough move was accentuated by precision and technique, with Jones chesting Ibrahima Konate's cross-field ball before firing the bounce smoothly to Jota. Jota knew Nunez's whereabouts and found him for the first time. Nuñez knows where the bottom corner is and he found it the first time.
Liverpool were aiming for a comeback. Jota felt Zabalny's touch on the edge of the area and stepped back for a penalty, but he didn't get it – it might have been a penalty – while Connor, who made a prestigious appearance at right-back, Bradley headed a shot at the far post.
The needle endured. Lewis Cook is wanted for the hack on Bradley and a bit of an afterthought during the disentanglement operation, which led to Klopp exchanging angry words with the Bournemouth bench. The Liverpool manager may have been more satisfied with his side's second-half performance. Control and authority abounded, with substitutes David Brooks and Kieffer Moore squandering brilliant chances in the closing stages, which ended Bournemouth's woes for good.
