DARWIN NUNEZ had been down on his luck before his trip to the south coast.
Darnwin Nunez scored twice to end his barren run in front of goal
Diogo Jota impressed as Liverpool cruised to victory
The Reds are now five points clear at the top
The Uruguayan forward for Liverpool had scored only once in his previous thirteen matches, squandered a handful of opportunities, and was heckled in the first half with insulting chants
However, Nunez opened the scoring with his 100th career goal and then concluded the rout in extra time.
Furthermore, he significantly contributed to Diogo Jota’s brace as Jurgen Klopp’s squad secured a five-point lead atop the Premier League standings following their fifth consecutive victory across all competitions.
In November, Nunez scored a resounding victory in this Carabao Cup venue. He must have been compelled to respond to his tormentors with a chorus of “May I play you every week?”
Although Manchester City trail the leaders by one game, Klopp’s squad appears formidable.
Their strength is comparatively weaker than that of the formidable squad that secured the Champions League and Premier League titles in 2019.
However, despite lacking half of their preferred starting lineup, they managed to secure a triumph away from home against the Premier League’s most in form squad with minimal disruption.
A stretch of seven victories in nine matches entirely transformed Bournemouth’s season.
Due to the significant improvement, Andoni Iraola, who was in jeopardy of being fired a few months prior, was constantly being called out by the home supporters.
Klopp gave Conor Bradley his entire league debut in place of Trent Alexander-Arnold at the stadium where the Reds were defeated the previous season.
The opening period exhibited characteristics of a “calm before the storm”; the gale-force winds that had been predicted had not yet materialized, and both teams failed to create the decisive pass in the final third.
Due to necessity, Alexis Mac Allister has assumed the holding position this season. During a sustained period of time, Liverpool held the Cherries back with a series of stifling challenges.
However, Liverpool’s decision-making remained consistently subpar. and Nunez’s in particular.
Justin Kluivert made a vicious late challenge on Luis Diaz, but VAR was unconcerned and the Liverpool forward was allowed to continue.
Before halftime, Bournemouth began to establish a cadence in its attack, with Luis Sinisterra posing a threat on the left flank.
And upon receiving a low center pass from Kluivert, Ryan Christie blocked an obvious opportunity for his teammate by advancing in front of the center forward but capturing an airshot.
It encapsulated the initial portion. Although many things came close to occurring, nothing ultimately transpired.
Klopp was substituted early in the second half, having retreated to his dugout prior to the players emerging; it appeared that the message he conveyed in the locker room had been effective.
Because Liverpool took the lead within four minutes of the restart with a move that demonstrated the intent and composure they had been lacking in the first half.
Ibrahima Konate identified Curtis Jones with a deft crossfield pass, and Jones subsequently angled a pass for Diogo Jota, who then slipped a pass for Nunez.
The Uruguayan, who was frequently a liability in front of the net, tucked the ball past Neto and into the bottom corner on his debut.
When Nunez yelled at the traveling supporters, Klopp exclaimed.
Virgil Van Dijk adeptly blocked a Kluivert shot shortly thereafter, and Jota had a legitimate opportunity for a penalty following a challenge by Illia Zabarnyi.
Bradley was thwarted by a respectable save by Neto as the visitors began to establish their dominance.
Spurring a furious exchange between Klopp and Bournemouth’s fitness coach Pablo De La Torre, Lewis Cook was booked for a foul on Bradley.
Cody Gakpo and Ryan Gravenberch were substituted by Klopp, and Gakpo was immediately involved in Liverpool’s second.
Jota delivered a crossfield pass to Nunez, who deftly outmuscled Zabarnyi, his defender, and set up Gakpo to assist Jota. Nunez then blasted the pass past Neto, outrunning the goalkeeper at his near post.
The second goal by Jota was an additional dent in the defense of the home crowd.
Jota scored his ninth goal of the season
After Nunez identified Bradley and the youngster assisted the Portuguese, Cherries supporters laughed at his initial miss.
Nevertheless, Lloyd Kelly and Lewis Cook paused as the ball reverted back to Jota, who thumped it home.
Late on, Jones was withdrawn by Klopp due to injury, and after Christie released David Brooks, he missed a late sitter for the hosts.
However, during injury time, Joe Gomez sent in a deft cross from the right flank, and Nunez scored with a delectable outside-the-boot finish after squeezing in at the far post.