A 3-0 win at Anfield to beat a very poor Bournemouth side was just what Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool FC needed. After a fantastic mid-week performance at the Etihad, many said the Liverpool squad would be tired, leggy and struggle to react against Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side. It was exactly the opposite.
After some brilliant performances from The Reds in the Champions League, the semi-finalists continued that fine form in the Premier League with once again, not a single player putting in a bad display.
However, among all the 8/10 performances, there were a few nine’s in there. The midfielders had a great game especially Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The pair of them showed everyone their excellent passing range, even if Bournemouth did give them the time to pick their passes.
Henderson returned to the starting eleven and did what he does best as a skipper. Sitting in front of the back two, he collected the ball and showed his distribution. Although he gets stick for passing sideways too often, he keeps possession and when you pass to Liverpool’s full-backs, that’s basically passing forward.
He obviously did pass forward as well, showing his creativity to play a few balls over the centre-backs and made Mane’s goal. He also showed his defensive capabilities, reading Bournemouth’s attacking threat the few times they ventured forwards.
Chamberlain was the second most impressive on Saturday at Anfield. His energy is amazing. Despite playing mid-week he played the full 90 minutes at full pace. The few times he did give the ball away, he won it straight back with his athleticism and power.
He drives between the midfield and defensive lines better than most others in the League and has shown he has that eye for a killer pass or long-range shot.
Finally, this week’s Man of the Match was Trent Alexander-Arnold. It was a very difficult decision to choose between the young right-back and The Ox, but Trent’s pass for Mo Salah’s goal just gives him the edge over the current England international.
The young right-back has come on leaps and bounds over the past couple of months. The injuries to Clyne and Gomez have given the 19-year-old his chance and he has grabbed it with both hands.
His speed is excellent he can turn defence into attack so quickly using his acceleration and determination to drive the ball forward.
His linkup play with Mo Salah is telepathic. They obviously work on this in training because the amount of times the right back picks out an inch-perfect pass to the man who has scored 40 goals this season is ridiculous.
His performance was so good, it sparked a debate whether or not he should be on the plane to Russia in the summer. There is no doubt he will eventually go to a World Cup. But due to his recent form, there is surely no way Gareth Southgate can just ignore Trent Alexander-Arnold.
