Mo Salah double piles pressure on Arsenal as Liverpool go nine points clear - 5 talking points

BOURNEMOUTH 0-2 LIVERPOOL: Both teams came into this crippled successful superb signifier but the Reds overcame the menace of the Cherries arsenic Mohamed Salah enactment connected a amusement with a brace to marque Premier League history

Liverpool went 9 points wide astatine the apical of the Premier League with a objective 2-0 triumph astatine in-form Bournemouth connected Saturday, with Mohamed Salah stealing the amusement erstwhile again arsenic helium netted a double.

Both teams came into this crippled successful superb signifier aft Bournemouth thumped Newcastle 4-1 and past demolished high-flyers Nottingham Forest 5-0, portion Liverpool thrashed Ipswich Town 4-1 past clip out.

And it was Bournemouth who started connected the beforehand foot, with their superb attacking trio connected opus again arsenic the in-form Antoine Semenyo rounded disconnected a superb determination by hitting an effort against the ft of the post.

But it wasn't agelong earlier Liverpool broke the deadlock aft Cody Gakpo was clipped wrong the container by Lewis Cook. Salah made nary mistake from the spot, calmly slotting successful the bottommost right-hand corner.

Bournemouth easy could person been level again successful the 2nd fractional aft Justin Kluivert blazed wide from an unfastened extremity aft Marcus Tavernier deed the station - and Salah made them wage minutes aboriginal with a superb decorativeness to marque it two.

Here are Mirror Football's talking points from the Vitality Stadium.

Salah continues making history

Salah mightiness person been a spot nervy erstwhile helium stepped up to the spot - particularly aft 2 of his past 4 punishment misses came against the Cherries.

But the 32-year-old was chill arsenic a cucumber from 12-yard arsenic Bournemouth keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was incapable to get a manus to his effort arsenic Liverpool went 1-0 up.

He past netted a superb decorativeness successful the 2nd half, which takes him to 21 goals for the season. That means helium has joined an elite nine of legendary Premier League players who person scored 20+ goals successful 5 seasons, on with the likes of Alan Shearer, Sergio Aguero, Thierry Henry and Harry Kane.

It was besides his 178th Premier League goal, which puts him supra Frank Lampard successful the all-time scorers database successful sixth place.

Salah mightiness good depart Liverpool astatine the extremity of the season, but he's surely going to spell retired with a bang and perchance interruption a fewer much records en route.

VAR play

It's not a Premier League clash without immoderate VAR play to feast upon, and portion the officials astatine Stockley Park usually extremity up successful the headlines for the incorrect reasons - VAR chiefs got some of the archetypal large decisions close astatine the Vitality.

For Liverpool's penalty, VAR spent a small spot of clip checking to marque definite a punishment was the close telephone aft Gakpo was felled successful the box, with officials agreeing that Cook did drawback the Dutchman arsenic helium swung a limb retired portion charging backmost to halt him.

Once that incidental was cleared, VAR officials past checked to marque definite that Gakpo was onside successful the build-up.

The Premier League confirmed: "The referee’s telephone of punishment was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the situation deemed to person been a travel by Cook connected Gakpo. The VAR besides confirmed Gakpo was onside successful the build-up."

That wasn't the extremity of the VAR scrutiny, however, arsenic Bournemouth got level done David Brooks, who tapped location from Milos Kerkez's cross. However, VAR looked astatine that excessively and aft little check, determined that Kerkez was conscionable offside earlier supplying the cross.

Liverpool's infamous referee reunion

Liverpool volition beryllium relieved that VAR got things spot connected during their crippled against Bournemouth seeing arsenic a referee who earned the wrath of supporters made his instrumentality to a Reds game.

Fans mightiness retrieve Darren England, who was the VAR overseeing the farcical overturning of Luis Diaz's extremity against Tottenham past season.

England and Dan Cook were successful complaint of checking the extremity and failed to gully offside lines to spot if the Colombian was connected oregon off.

England appeared to beryllium blacklisted from Liverpool games for the remainder of the 2023-24 play and this was the archetypal crippled helium had refereed since.

His erstwhile Liverpool crippled earlier this was successful May 2023 - and immoderate fans mightiness person been dubious astir the announcement helium would beryllium the antheral successful the mediate here.

Bournemouth tally retired of steam

Before this game, Andoni Iraola had been perfectly steamrollering their opponents and determination had been fears Liverpool could beryllium their adjacent victims coming into this game.

But portion Bournemouth showed flashes of awesome plays astatine the commencement of this game, the Cherries weren't the aforesaid squad that demolished Nottingham Forest 5-0 and this was intelligibly a immense measurement up successful opposition.

Before Saturday's clash, Justin Kluivert had scored six goals successful 4 games, portion Semenyo had been progressive successful a extremity for the past 4 games and Dango Ouattara netted a hat-trick against Forest past clip out.

But portion Semenyo deed the station with an effort successful the archetypal half, the remainder of Bournemouth's cardinal attacking unit couldn't get into their groove arsenic Liverpool defenders Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate frustrated.

There was different cardinal infinitesimal successful the 2nd fractional arsenic Bournemouth deed the station again done Marcus Tavernier struck the station but Kluivert amazingly blazed wide with the extremity gaping from the rebound. It was a shocking miss from a antheral successful specified bully form.

After immoderate relentless shot successful caller weeks, possibly the Cherries yet ran retired of steam present erstwhile it truly mattered.

Trent concern

Liverpool person been beauteous fortunate with injuries this season, which has played a immense relation successful their complaint towards the apical of the Premier League, but determination was immoderate interest for the England defender aft helium hobbled disconnected injured.

Conor Bradley was brought connected for the remainder of the game, with fans hoping that Slot lone took him disconnected arsenic a precaution.

The substitution was made successful the 70th infinitesimal and Liverpool volition present hold for the particulate to settee to spot however terrible his wounded is.

Alexander-Arnold's aboriginal is up successful the air, with his declaration expiring astatine the extremity of the play - and helium has been linked with a escaped transportation to Real Madrid.

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