21 January 2024 , 19:18
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Perhaps this was the day Liverpool’s agent of chaos became a paragon of efficiency.
Darwin Nunez may have earned himself a reputation as one of the Premier League ’s most consistently unpredictable players. But the Uruguayan provided a moment of ruthlessness to set the league leaders on their way before Diogo Jota’s double ensured a tricky assignment became a stroll in the middle of a south coast storm.
Nunez, who was involved in both of Jota’s goals, then bookended an outstanding second-half performance with another in added time as Jurgen Klopp’s team extended their gap at the top to five points. Until Nunez’s 49th-minute opener Liverpool struggled to break down Bournemouth in increasingly swirling conditions.
By the end, however, Klopp was left beaming at their most resounding win of the season against a team who had won six and drawn one of their previous eight fixtures.
They may have occupied the top two spots in the form table prior to kick off but both teams were short of options due to injuries and international duty. That meant a league debutant in either defence - James Hill for the hosts and Conor Bradley for the visitors.
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And maybe the absences could be to blame for a lack of early cohesion. With the gales not yet blowing, the opening quarter was marked by loose touches and misjudged passes.
A first shot eventually arrived 19 minutes in as Alexis Mac Allister, who was impressive in the centre of Liverpool's midfield three, harmlessly shot wide from range. Nunez followed up with an effort that Neto saved with ease - 20 seconds after accidentally booting the ball at team-mate Curtis Jones - while Luis Diaz made the home goalkeeper work from a similar distance.
Diaz then required treatment after Justin Kluivert planted his studs on the Colombian, with Bournemouth’s winger going unpunished despite Klopp’s protestations.
Darwin Nunez scored twice in Liverpool's 4-0 win over Bournemouth.The home side temporarily moved into a higher gear in the 10 minutes leading up to the interval. Ryan Christie’s 39th-minute attempt woke Alisson from his slumber, while Ibrahima Konate misread a bouncing ball that allowed Kluivert and Christie to try their luck.
Christie and Dominic Solanke, against his former club, came close to latching on to a Luis Sinisterra cross a minute before half-time. Upon the restart, though, Liverpool found a new level that Bournemouth could not match.
Nunez’s first goal began with a Konate cross-field pass that Curtis Jones, who would come off late on with a muscle injury, brought down before finding Jota.
The Portugal forward provided a swift pass for Nunez, who found a rare gap in the middle of the hosts’ defence and dispatched clinically past Neto. Bournemouth’s response was surprisingly tame and with 70 minutes on the clock Jota ensured the win.
Darwin Nunez and Curtis Jones celebrate after Liverpool broke the deadlock at the Vitality Stadium.It emanated from Nunez beating Illia Zabarnyi in the air. Substitute Cody Gakpo gathered possession, feeding Jota, and his low drive flew in off the near post.
Jota’s second was mildly fortunate. It arrived after Nunez sent in a deep cross from the left that Bradley returned goalwards. And while Jota scuffed his initial effort, the second fell kindly and he made no mistake.
Nunez produced the fourth from four yards two minutes into added time when timing his dart forward perfectly to convert Joe Gomez’s cross from the right.
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In a title race destined to be decided by fine margins, every improvement to the goal difference should not be sniffed at.