• Liverpool put shock defeat to Nottingham Forest behind them
  • Luis Diaz scores twice and Darwin Nunez adds third
  • Hosts move top of the Premier League with victory

by talal osman

Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League as a first-half blitz helped them beat Bournemouth 3-0 at Anfield.

Two goals in two minutes from Luis Diaz and a wonderful Darwin Nunez strike helped the Reds take a three-goal lead into the half-time break.

And they had little trouble in holding onto that result to ensure a shock defeat to Nottingham Forest last time out was quickly put behind them.

How the game unfolded

Bournemouth thought they had made the perfect start when Antoine Semenyo slid in to finish a deflected Justin Kluivert cross after just four minutes, but a brief VAR check confirmed initial suspicions of offside.

And that let-off only prompted Liverpool to start piling on the pressure, with Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Nunez all forcing Kepa Arrizabalaga into sharp saves in quick succession.

But, while the visiting goalkeeper had impressed in those moments, his decision to rush out towards a ball over the top he could not reach gave Diaz the freedom to tap into an empty net with 26 minutes gone.

The Colombian made it two shortly after, passing the ball through Kepa's legs on his weaker left foot from a tight angle after being played in by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

And Liverpool put the seal on a brilliant first-half performance when Nunez curled in beautifully after cutting in from the right-hand side.

With the game all but decided by the hosts' first-half exploits, it was perhaps no surprise that the second took on a more sedate pace.

Still, Liverpool had their chances to put the game even out of sight, with a weak Salah effort after dribbling into the box and a late Curtis Jones attempt on the counter perhaps their best.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, hit the bar after pinball at a corner as they came close to reducing the deficit with less than ten minutes remaining.

However, the result never really looked in doubt, with Arne Slot's men largely easing to an important three points.