LFC Toronto Match Review: Liverpool FC 9 – Bournemouth 0

That was more like it, eh?

TV football pundit and former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch once observed if you intently watch Bobby Firmino, you’ll see the whole game.

Last Monday, we were left wondering whether Firmino had lost his bearings as he was at times deep in midfield looking more like a defender. However, as Crouchy had pointedly remarked a few years ago, it was a mere reflection of that particular aberration of a game at Old Trafford as we saw a Liverpool side uncharacteristically not its usual self.

Against Bournemouth this time, it was a total metamorphosis. Firmino was the supreme maestro of Liverpool’s attacking line and now everyone (LFC fan or not) is seeing the game’s result.

After “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was sung with much gusto by the Anfield crowd, questions inevitably swirled back to mind as the kick-off whistle was blown: 

Was it going to be the same underwhelming Liverpool that failed to win during the first 3 matches of the season? Will the opposition score first as during the Reds’ previous 7 league games?

It didn’t take long to find all the answers because, from the get-go, Firmino bossed the forward line on a mission to prove his critics wrong.

Two goals inside the first 6 minutes (yes six) by Luis Diaz and a left-footed peach by Harvey Elliot both had the assists for the Brazilian. 

By the half-hour mark, Liverpool had turned the proceedings into an exhibition of attacking football supplemented by the fabled Gegenpressing. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold fired a Stevie G-Esque long-range rocket from outside the penalty box to make it 3-0. An almost identical strike as against Newcastle last December but this time from the right-side channel instead of the left against the Geordies. 

Who assisted? No prize if you answer Bobby Firmino. Not to be outdone, Liverpool’s Number 9 himself pounced with a close-range flick, taking advantage of a wayward ricochet ball from Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier.

If Firmino had rehabilitated himself by then, Virgil Van Dijk also joined the road to redemption with a header from a corner just before half-time. By the way, which Liverpool player created the corner? It’s not hard to guess the usual suspect.

Five nil up at the interval and much to our delight, it would continue to be the same for Liverpool during the second half. Spectators were still getting back to their seats when Bournemouth’s Chris Mepham resumed the day’s normal service with an own-goal. 

Diaz and Firmino each helped themselves with a brace but the outstanding goal of the second half came from a volley of new signing Fabio Carvalho. Three days shy of his 20th birthday, the young Portuguese extended the afternoon’s gift that kept on giving in the shape of a first Liverpool goal in front of the Kop.

With the 9-0 demolition of Bournemouth, Liverpool have emulated their best league win in the top echelon. In September 1989, the Reds swatted Crystal Palace by the same score but with a slight variation of 9 different Liverpool players on the score sheet back then. That game of some 33 years ago was billed as a total team performance. 

This time it should not be viewed differently. Stung from that painful defeat against Man Utd, every Liverpool player clearly wanted to make amends. They played as one unit for the team, sprayed the ball in all directions, created both space and chances for one another and relentlessly pressed the opposition like packs of wolves when not in possession. 

It’s no wonder then that:

Luis Diaz scored two headers from 6 yards while he is supposed to be a winger.

Two under 20-year olds opened their Liverpool league goal accounts in eye-catching fashion.

Bobby Firmino had… well it would save a lot of time to list what he did not do during this match instead of extolling on a lengthy rundown of what he did. 

That Peter Crouch observation of a few years ago actually had a first part: when you watch the game, you hardly see Firmino. But today, the Bournemouth players probably ended up getting sick at the slightest sight of the Man of the Match.

Perhaps the only aberration on Saturday was how on earth Mo Salah did not get on the score sheet during this goal fest after he had scored eight times during his previous 6 games against Bournemouth. In fact, the Egyptian King had several gilt-edged chances which would have easily hit the back of the net on another day.

After this ecstatic afternoon in a glorious Anfield sunshine, one sobering thought to ponder on: with the resumption of the Champions League, Liverpool will now have additional mid-week games. The home bench on Saturday was a testimonial of how the squad is stretched to the limit as it contained two goalkeepers, one of them presumably just there to make up the numbers.

Liverpool’s principal owner John W Henry was actually in attendance at Anfield to witness the Bournemouth demolition. The Liverpool Echo wondered whether he was in town to talk about transfers with Jurgen Klopp. 

In the meantime, the Liverpool players had unequivocally done all the talking on the pitch.

Mike Chung.
YNWA