AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool Live Commentary & Result, 08/12/2018, Premier League

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	PTS	Form
1	MCI Manchester City	38	32	2	4	95	23	+72	98	W W W W W
2	LIV Liverpool	38	30	7	1	89	22	+67	97	W W W W W
3	CHE Chelsea	38	21	9	8	63	39	+24	72	D W D D L
4	TOT Tottenham Hotspur	38	23	2	13	67	39	+28	71	D L L W L
5	ARS Arsenal	38	21	7	10	73	51	+22	70	W D L L L
6	MUN Manchester United	38	19	9	10	65	54	+11	66	L D D L L
7	WOL Wolverhampton Wanderers	38	16	9	13	47	46	+1	57	L W W W D
8	EVE Everton	38	15	9	14	54	46	+8	54	D W D W L
9	LEI Leicester City	38	15	7	16	51	48	+3	52	D L W D L
10	WHU West Ham United	38	15	7	16	52	55	-3	52	W W W D L
11	WAT Watford	38	14	8	16	52	59	-7	50	L L L D W
12	CRY Crystal Palace	38	14	7	17	51	53	-2	49	W W D W L
13	NEW Newcastle United	38	12	9	17	42	48	-6	45	W L D W W
14	BOU AFC Bournemouth	38	13	6	19	56	70	-14	45	L W D L W
15	BRN Burnley	38	11	7	20	45	68	-23	40	L L L D W
16	SOU Southampton	38	9	12	17	45	65	-20	39	D L D D L
17	BHA Brighton & Hove Albion	38	9	9	20	35	60	-25	36	L D D L D
18	CAR Cardiff City	38	10	4	24	34	69	-35	34	W L L L W
19	FUL Fulham	38	7	5	26	34	81	-47	26	L L W W W
20	HUD Huddersfield Town	38	3	7	28	22	76	-54	16	D D L L L

Thanks for joining our commentary this afternoon. Until next time, goodbye.

Next up for Liverpool is their crucial Champions League showdown against Napoli at Anfield on Tuesday. Bournemouth's next Premier League game comes against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the road next week.

Liverpool move to the summit of the Premier League courtesy of dominant win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium this afternoon. Mohamed Salah was the architect of their victory, scoring a fine hat-trick, albeit his first goal should have been disallowed for offside. Salah has not been operating at the peak of his powers this term, but he looked like the player of last season, using all of his fearsome attributes in the final third to put the home side to the sword. Jurgen Klopp's men remained solid at the back, continuing their impressive defensive record. The Reds have now kept 10 clean sheets in their 16 Premier League games this term. The Cherries had an afternoon to forget - none more so than Steve Cook, who was given a torrid time by Salah and scored an own goal to boot. Despite their defeat Bournemouth remain in seventh, although their bright start to the campaign is beginning to fade as we progress into the meat of the fixture schedule.

90' + 5' FULL-TIME: BOURNEMOUTH 0-4 LIVERPOOL

90' + 4' The Reds are going to see out the game with a clean sheet, continuing their excellent record at the back this term.

90' + 3' Liverpool move the ball around the final third, but resist the opportunity to shoot from distance. It has been a composed performance from start to finish from the visitors.

90' + 1' Lallana makes his way back on the field with a new shirt.

90' There will be five minutes of added time.

88' Lallana receives a nasty blow to the head in an aerial duel with Lerma. He is forced from the field temporarily.

86' WIDE! The visitors remain on the attack. Wijnaldum rises highest in the box from Robertson's cross from the left, but he glances his effort wide of the target.

85' Liverpool continue to probe and Milner latches on to a cutback and drills an effort towards the net. It almost falls for Salah in the box, but the forward cannot bring his powerful drive under control.

Diego Rico

C. Daniels

83' Diego Rico is on for Daniels for the closing stages of the contest.

T. Mings

J. Stanislas

83' Stanislas is replaced by Mings for the home side.

82' Liverpool keep pushing for further goals as Wijnaldum makes a break forward. He works the ball to Milner on the overlap, although he curls his cross behind for a goal-kick.

J. Henderson

Roberto Firmino

81' Firmino makes way in Liverpool's final change to be replaced by Henderson.

80' OVER! Daniels collects 25 yards from goal and has a shot to nothing from distance. He connects sweetly with his drive, only to blast his effort narrowly over the bar.

79' Salah is the first Liverpool player to score a hat-trick away from home since Suarez vs Cardiff in March 2014.

78' Liverpool have been excellent since the restart and have made a statement to Manchester City this afternoon.

Mohamed Salah

Goal

77' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! HAT-TRICK FOR SALAH!!! LIVERPOOL HAVE FOUR!!! Salah notches his third goal of the afternoon compounding the misery for Cook and Bournemouth. The forward latches on to Lallana's flick over the top and beats Cook for pace. There's still work to do as he rounds Begovic. Salah does push the ball slightly too far to the left, but he recovers and beats Begovic for a second time before poking his effort past Ake and Cook on the line. A clinical finish.

74' Mousset crashes an effort past Alisson into the net, but the flag was raised a long time before he converted the opportunity. It has been one of those days for the home side.

73' Cook has scored three own goals in the Premier League, more than any of his Bournemouth team-mates.

72' Liverpool break with speed on the counter and Firmino feeds the run of Lallana, only for the midfielder to lose his footing in the box. Salah tries to keep the attack going, but he miscues his offload back to his team-mate.

71' Stanislas strikes the ball well from the free-kick and angles his effort towards the top corner, but Alisson is able to get across in time to make a comfortable claim.

Fabinho

Yellow Card

70' Fabinho commits his second foul of the game and is booked by referee Mason.

69' Lerma wins a free-kick for his team 25 yards from goal as he gets brought down by Fabinho.

S. Cook

Own Goal

68' GOALLLLLLLLL!!!! A NIGHTMARE FOR COOK!!! LIVERPOOL 3-0!!! The visitors surely secure the three points this afternoon as Cook sends the ball into his own net. Robertson is played into acres of space down the left flank and he fires a low cross into the box. Cook has to make the clearance as Mane and Salah are both lurking in the middle. He slices the ball behind him and it travels beyond the reach of Begovic into the net. It has been a difficult afternoon for the Bournemouth defender.

A. Lallana

N. Keïta

65' Lallana comes on in the middle of the park to replace Keita.

S. Mané

X. Shaqiri

65' Shaqiri makes way for Mane in the final third.

L. Mousset

D. Brooks

65' Brooks has been quiet since the restart and makes way for Mousset.

64' Liverpool win back-to-back corners, but the home side are able to repel the danger to keep themselves alive in the contest.

62' Daniels is afforded acres of space down the left once again, but there's no one to hit with a cross in the penalty area. Liverpool are being exposed down their right flank, although they've not been made to pay yet.

61' Salah was caught on his ankle in the build up to his second goal of the afternoon. With a crucial game against Napoli during the week in the Champions League, Klopp may consider withdrawing his star man.

59' The Reds knock the ball around with ease in the final third before Lerma lifts a pass over the top for Salah. He goes for the acrobatic effort, only to blast his effort over the bar, although he was offside anyway.

58' Lerma has to be on the spot tracking back to prevent Salah having a clean strike at goal from Robertson's cutback in the middle. Liverpool are in pursuit of the killer goal.

57' Salah has scored his 40th Premier League goal for Liverpool in his 52nd such appearance for the Reds. Only Andy Cole and Alan Shearer (both 45 appearances) reached this landmark in fewer games for a club.

56' Daniels is afforded further space down the left flank and he whips a cross into the box. The ball evades King, but comes to Lerma on the edge. He lines up a strike on the volley, only to see his effort charged down by Van Dijk.

55' Cook is back on his feet, although he is moving gingerly. It will be a concern for Howe on the sideline.

54' Bournemouth have another injury concern as Cook is down on the floor receiving treatment. Already without Lewis Cook and Wilson, the Cherries cannot afford to lose many more of their starters.

52' CHANCE! Bournemouth open up Liverpool down the left flank as Stanislas releases Daniels into space. The full-back slides a low ball towards the near post, but King puts his effort wide of the post. He appeared to get caught in two minds while he fell over the trailing leg of Alisson in the process. The Cherries made a mild appeal for a penalty, although referee Lee Mason was not interested.

50' Salah and Ake have a clash of heads, leaving the Bournemouth man down on the deck in need of treatment.

49' Liverpool now have control of the contest and can play the game at their tempo. Bournemouth have a huge challenge ahead of them now.

Roberto Firmino

Assist

48' Firmino pounces on Cook's mistake and flicks the ball forward for Salah, who does the rest with a quality run and finish.

Mohamed Salah

Goal

48' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! SALAH NOTCHES HIS SECOND!!! LIVERPOOL 2-0!!! A mistake by Cook allows the Reds to double their advantage. The Bournemouth defender misplaces a pass and it allows Firmino to release Salah, who surges towards the edge of the box. Cook tries to clip his ankles, but the forward maintains his balance. He strikes with his left foot and although it's not clean contact, the ball travels between the legs of Ake and into the back of the net. A fine finish from the Egyptian.

46' We're back underway at the Vitality Stadium.

Jurgen Klopp's men have controlled possession for the majority of the contest, boasting almost 70% of the ball in the first half. They've not been at their clinical best, and given their late scare against Burnley during the week, Klopp will want to make sure that his make certain of the three points as soon as possible when play resumes.

Liverpool lead Bournemouth at the break courtesy of Mohamed Salah's strike after 25 minutes at the Vitality Stadium. It was a half of few clear-cut openings, but Salah converted the one on offer as he converted from close range as Asmir Begovic palmed Roberto Firmino's strike into the middle of the box. There was more than a suggestion of offside against the Egyptian, although the linesman gave him the benefit of the doubt. The Cherries have had a couple of opportunities at the other end, but the visitors' defence has been tight once again.

45' + 3' HALF-TIME: BOURNEMOUTH 0-1 LIVERPOOL

45' + 2' Salah almost makes an incisive break before the interval, although he gets crowded out before he can pull the trigger from the edge of the box.

45' + 2' Liverpool are putting their foot on the ball here to ensure they take their lead into the break.

45' There will be two minutes of added time.

44' Begovic has made eight errors leading directly to a goal in the Premier League since the start of last season, at least two more than any other keeper.

43' Milner puts his team in trouble with a sliced clearance, allowing King to threaten in the box. Alisson is forced to leap to head clear with the Bournemouth forward. He clears the danger, although he wipes out King in the process.

42' Milner puts his cross right under the bar, although Begovic is able to make the claim without a problem.

41' It's Liverpool's turn to probe and Robertson wins a corner off the legs of Brooks tracking back. Milner will swing the corner into the penalty area.

40' King and Stanislas almost combine on the edge of the box, but the offload from the winger back to the Norwegian forward is loose and forces him wide. King tries to keep the attack alive, but Liverpool have the men back and Alisson is able to gather Francis' cross from the right with ease.

38' Fraser has another opportunity to whip a cross into the box from a corner from the left flank. Alisson does well to come through a crowd of players to punch clear before Lerma is caught offside.

37' Surman and Francis combine to release Brooks into the right inside channel, but the pressure from Keita and Robertson quells the opening for the Bournemouth midfielder.

35' CLOSE! Fraser stands a cross up to the back post and the ball is knocked into the path of Ake, although he fails to sort his feet out in time to convert the opening.

34' The Cherries keep the pressure on as Stanislas collects on the edge of the box, but his effort is deflected behind for another corner for the home side.

34' Fraser has a dart down the right flank for the home side and he wins a corner off the legs of Robertson as he tried to target King at the back post.

32' Rhythm has been an issue for both teams, but the threat of Salah over the top has provided Liverpool with an outlet every time they've been pressed for ideas.

30' Bournemouth work the ball around the box, but the Liverpool defensive line holds firm. Eventually the mistake comes from Lerma sending a pass beyond the reach of Francis down the flank.

29' Salah has now scored the opening goal for the seventh time in the Premier League this season, at least two more times than any other player.

27' It's a huge setback for Bournemouth just as though it had appeared they had settled after a slow start to the contest. There's plenty of work ahead of them now.

Mohamed Salah

Goal

25' GOALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!! SALAH CONVERTS ON THE REBOUND!!! LIVERPOOL 1-0!!! The Reds get the breakthrough as Salah pounces on a rebound and dispatches his effort into the net from close range. Firmino was afforded space and time to fire at goal from distance. Begovic made the stop, although he palmed the ball out into the middle of the box. Salah was the first to react and he guided his effort past the Bournemouth keeper, although there was a hint of offside.

25' The Cherries are starting to grow into the game, but Liverpool are resolute at the back, having conceded only six goals in the Premier League this term.

23' SAVE! Stanislas works the ball into the path of Brooks in the inside left channel and he fires a low effort towards the bottom corner, only to be denied by a sharp save from Alisson.

22' The Bournemouth fans are not thrilled with the referee as Fabinho catches Fraser late and avoids a booking.

21' WIDE! King turns into space and he raids away from Fabinho, but he can only scuff his strike from the edge of the box wide of the target.

20' Liverpool threaten down the left flank as Shaqiri floats a ball out wide to Robertson. The full-back sends a ball early towards the near post, forcing Begovic into action to stop the cross finding Salah.

19' Salah is making a lot of dangerous runs between the lines and he finds space on the left flank on this occasion, although his low cross is blocked by Francis.

18' Lerma has been shown 22 yellow cards in league competition since the start of last season, at least three more than any other player in Europe's top five Leagues (38 games).

16' Salah has a run at Ake down the right inside channel, but the defender holds his ground well to stop his progress.

J. Lerma

Yellow Card

15' Lerma catches Fabinho with a late boot, resulting in a booking for the Cherries midfielder.

14' WIDE! Shaqiri angles a perfect ball over the top of the Bournemouth defence for the run of Salah in the right inside channel. The forward tries to take the strike on his right foot, only to slice his attempt wide of the post.

13' BLOCK! Shaqiri lines up the free-kick and curls his effort towards the target, but it hits the wall and is deflected over the bar.

N. Aké

Yellow Card

12' Ake goes into the book for a deliberate handball.

12' Salah breaks the offside trap and the Bournemouth defence are exposed. He works the ball back towards Firmino, who looks for the offload through the Cherries line again, but it stopped by a handball by Ake.

11' The quality from both teams has been lacking in possession thus far. The game needs a spark from somewhere.

10' Shaqiri turns into space and he looks for the cross-field pass towards Robertson, but he misplaces his offload out for a throw-in.

8' The Cherries win a free-kick and Francis knocks the ball forward towards King, but it evades the run of the forward and bounces through to Alisson.

6' Milner collects on the right flank and sends an offload into the right inside channel. However, Salah is not on the same page and the ball travels out for a goal-kick.

5' Salah tries to work the ball towards Keita in the Bournemouth box, but his pass is cleared away with ease by Cook.

3' Alisson gives the ball away in the final third, but the home side are unable to capitalise as Brooks loses possession under pressure from Keita.

1' We're underway at the Vitality Stadium.

The players are out on the pitch, so we should be underway shortly.

Only Gareth Barry (32 years, 219 days) was younger than Milner (32 years, 338 days on Saturday) when he reached the milestone.

Milner will become just the 11th outfield player to make 500 Premier League appearances.

Liverpool have made five changes to their side that started against Burnley during the week. Salah and Firmino are restored to their positions up front, although Shaqiri retains his place ahead of Mane. Fabinho and Wijnaldum get the starts in the middle of the park, while Robertson replaces Moreno. Milner shifts into right-back due to Joe Gomez's injury, with Alexander-Arnold on the bench.

Bournemouth have made two changes from their win over Huddersfield during the week. Lewis Cook tore his ACL in the victory and will be a long-term absentee, Surman replaces him in the middle of the park. Leading scorer Callum Wilson also misses out with a hamstring injury and is replaced by Stanislas, which could see Brooks move into a central position behind King leading the line.

SUBS: Sadio Mane, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana, Simon Mignolet, Divock Origi, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Alisson; James Milner, Joel Matip, Virgil van Dijk, Andrew Robertson; Naby Keita, Fabinho, Georginio Wijnaldum; Xherdan Shaqiri, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino.

SUBS: Artur Boruc, Marc Pugh, Lys Mousset, Jordon Ibe, Jermain Defoe, Diego Rico, Tyrone Mings.

BOURNEMOUTH (4-4-1-1): Asmir Begovic; Simon Francis, Steve Cook, Nathan Ake, Charlie Daniels; Junior Stanislas, Jefferson Lerma, Andrew Surman, Ryan Fraser; David Brooks; Joshua King.

Bournemouth earned a vital win over Huddersfield during the week to stop their recent slump. Eddie Howe's side had lost four matches on the bounce in the Premier League heading into their contest against the Terriers. An early goal from Callum Wilson put them ahead before Ryan Fraser doubled their advantage. Terence Kongolo got a goal back before half-time for Huddersfield, but the Cherries were able to hold out in the second period for the win on home soil.

Liverpool maintained their unbeaten start to the campaign last time out against Burnley at Turf Moor. Jack Cork's opener for the Clarets put Jurgen Klopp's men under pressure, but their response was emphatic as goals from James Milner and Roberto Firmino rallied the visitors into a second-half lead. A brilliant save was required by Alisson to keep them in front before Xherdan Shaqiri secured the three points. The Reds remain two points behind Manchester City, but can leapfrog them temporarily with a win this afternoon.

Good afternoon and welcome to the live commentary of the Premier League clash between Bournemouth and Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium.

AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool Live Commentary, 08/12/2018

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