Liverpool made their way back to play on the south coast after going ten days without a match and twenty days without a league match.
The weather in Bournemouth at kickoff was similar to that of the League Cup match earlier in the season: stormy, with wind gusts reaching 50 mph.
Despite being the stronger team in the first half, Liverpool was unable to generate any clear-cut opportunities and most of their long-range shots were not very dangerous.
Three players stood out in particular: Conor Bradley, who made his Premier League debut and became the first Northern Irishman to play for the team in the Premier League, Ibrahima Konate, and Alexis Mac Allister.
The main topic of discussion at halftime, however, was the fact that Justin Kluivert’s challenge on Luis Diaz received no penalty at all. It was an almost identical challenge to the one Curtis Jones received a red card for against Tottenham.
The referee wasn’t even advised to look by Paul Tierney on VAR. More inconsistent officiating in the Premier League.
Early in the first half, Nunez and Jota combined to open the score. Jota’s exquisite first-time pass found Nunez, who rolled it past the goalie to score his second goal in 16 games.
Jota was fouled by a player and shoved by another, and Liverpool should have been awarded a penalty shortly after. However, neither the referee nor VAR awarded any points.
After a difficult first half, Jota showed great improvement, setting up the second goal with a great assist from Nunez and Gakpo.
Liverpool deserved Jota’s crisp finish at the near post following a much better second half.
With ten minutes left, the Portuguese striker added a second goal, a brilliant finish by Jota following an early miskick that had the home crowd laughing instead of cheering.
Curtis Jones, who looked to be suffering from a hamstring problem, was replaced by 18-year-old midfielder Bobby Clark, while Jurgen Klopp started Owen Beck in his Premier League debut off the bench.
In stoppage time, Nunez scored his second goal with a beautiful finish off of Gomez’s pass.
With a game remaining, the Reds are atop the standings, five points ahead of Man City.