Egyptian forward, Mohamed Salah scored both goals in their hard-fought 2-0 victory on Saturday at AFC Bournemouth as Liverpool moved nine points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Salah converted a penalty after Lewis Cook tripped Cody Gakpo in the first half, then bent a wonderful finish into the far corner to make the points safe with 15 minutes to play.
Bournemouth entered Saturday’s match unbeaten in 11 Premier League outings while Liverpool had gone 18 without losing, and the Cherries made the leaders work for their win.
David Brooks had a strike disallowed for a marginal offside decision and Justin Kluivert shot wide of an open goal in the second half, as the hosts lost for the first time since November.
Liverpool added to their advantage over Arsenal – who face Manchester City on Sunday – and Nottingham Forest, while Bournemouth stay seventh with 40 points.
Reacting after the win, Liverpool manager, Arne Slot said, “Exactly the game we expected. They’re so intense and they keep running every second. I said before the game when we were 3-0 up at Anfield at half-time they kept on running. We had to play on top of our abilities and we needed a bit of luck to win this game. They were constantly trying to do things. I didn’t think we controlled the game.”
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But the result for Liverpool was slightly overshadowed by Trent Alexander-Arnold being forced off with a muscle injury during the second half and he is now a major doubt for the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham on Thursday, live on Sky Sports.
Arne Slot said: “He asked me if he could come off and then he went down. He felt something, I can’t tell you exactly what it is because it is only now an hour after it happened but it is never a good sign if the player is asking for a substitution.
“I would be surprised if he plays on Thursday but let’s hope he is back as soon as possible.”
Rested Reds led by Salah
With Liverpool having sealed qualification for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League with a game to spare, Arne Slot used Wednesday’s trip to PSV as an opportunity to shuffle his pack, leaving Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and several other big names at home.
Resting those key players proved a wise decision as Liverpool were forced to contend with Bournemouth’s all-action, vertical approach.
They were a tad fortunate to see Bournemouth pass up several golden opportunities, with the woodwork also coming to the Reds’ aid on two occasions.
But winning without playing well is often said to be a mark of champions, and with Salah in fine form, Liverpool always have a chance. Salah’s double took him to 25 goals for the season in all competitions, with 21 of those coming in the Premier League.
He has now surpassed the 20-goal mark in five different Premier League campaigns, with only Alan Shearer (seven), Sergio Aguero and Harry Kane (both six) doing so on more occasions.