Liverpool
Loris Karius – 8
Was able to enjoy the evening Liverpool sunset, in fact it wouldn’t be surprising if he had a radio next to his post and was listening to the final stages of the Grand National – with 10 minutes left to play he was forced into his only save of the afternoon to keep his clean sheet intact.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 8
Was determined and proficient with his attacking forays down the right side, we was afforded plenty of space to venture into and delivered some testing balls, his defensive tackles and interceptions were also of a high quality.
Dejan Lovren – 8
On the few occasions that Bournemouth did break forward, he kept the usually lively Defoe very quiet at Anfield – was substituted in the latter stages as a precaution after picking up a slight knock.
Virgil Van Dijk – 7
Like his defensive partner, he controlled the area in front of the Liverpool area with composure and calmness – every ball in the air seems to come down on the Dutchman’s head, a feat that is of huge benefit to his side.
Andrew Robertson – 7
To have him and Alexander-Arnold in the backline is both marvellous and exciting – he has the capability to hold this position for some time and once again he showed exactly why he is Klopp’s number one left-back having influence in both attack and defence.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 9
Put in an excellent shift as he keeps impressing the Anfield crowd – appears to be thriving with more responsibility and dominates anyone he faces, he was a step above his Bournemouth counterparts and wasn’t afraid of unleashing some strikes from distance.
Jordan Henderson – 8
Having missed the game at the Etihad on Tuesday, he returned to the starting XI full of energy and was lively throughout – he controlled the midfield and looked to get the ball forward as much as possible, he provided a great ball to Mane for Liverpool’s first.
Georginio Wijnaldum – 8
Having filled-in for Henderson in the centre of midfield on Tuesday, the Dutchman was back to a familiar role and he was a constant menace to the Bournemouth midfield, winning back possession on numerous occasions.
Mohamed Salah – 8
Akin to his recent performances, Salah was less involved than what he was a month or so ago but still positively contributed to the team’s performance, most notably his sublime header to give Liverpool their second goal of the match.
Roberto Firmino – 7
As ever, he worked hard for the team and was rewarded late on with a goal that but the cherry on the top of a fine Liverpool display – was guilty of wasting one or two good opportunities in and around the Bournemouth area but moved on and up.
Sadio Mane – 8
Was full of energy from the start and led Liverpool’s attacking triumvirate throughout – he had a number of chances to score before he did get Liverpool’s opener, and appears to be now back to the levels that he was showing earlier in the season.
Bournemouth
Asmir Begovic – 6
Despite conceding three goals, he didn’t perform that badly – a part from the goals, there wasn’t too much more for him to stop or save, he commanded his area well and collected a couple of Liverpool’s crosses.
Ryan Fraser – 4
In the first half, he was deep forming part of the back five, albeit not that convincingly, after half time there was a clear emphasis to attack more but overall he didn’t convince.
Simon Francis – 5
For much of the match, he simply shielded the Bournemouth area with blocks, very rarely did he manage to control the ball or manage any sustained possession.
Steve Cook – 6
Led the Bournemouth defence but they kept dropping deep, was not able to cope with the quality of Mane in particular.
Nathan Ake – 7
Was the standout player in red and black – was reasonably comfortable in defence and dealt fairly well with Liverpool’s attackers, he wasn’t afraid of bringing the ball out from the back.
Charlie Daniels – 5
Like his fellow wing-back, in the first half he barely left his own half but after the break he spent much more time down the other end, this led Bournemouth to deploying the risky strategy of having three-on-three at the back.
Lewis Cook – 6
Impressed the Liverpool crowd when he was on the ball, however, too often Bournemouth simply shifted from side to side rather than trying to break up possession hence there were few opportunities for Cook to show off.
Dan Gosling – 6
The former Everton player had a fairly quiet game, and although he did tackle and intercept in the middle of the pitch, he was unable to keep possession for any period of time.
Jordan Ibe – 4
Was practically a spectator throughout, Bournemouth’s inability to maintain possession and feed the attacking players led to it being a very frustrating afternoon for him, was substituted with over half an hour to play.
Josh King – 5
Had more of an attacking impetus after half time but didn’t really produce much of note, he was involved in the late goalmouth scramble that Bournemouth should have scored from.
Jermaine Defoe – 4
Was kept quiet by Lovren, Van Dijk and his own teammates.
