Resilient Liverpool overcome Bournemouth’s high pressure to take a step closer towards the Premier League title

Salah guides Liverpool to another crucial win in the title race. (Image credits - FMT, License Details)

Liverpool move one more step closer towards winning the Premier League title with their hard-fought win against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium last night. 

Arne Slot’s dynamic game plan enabled Liverpool to withstand the pressure, allowing them to tackle Andoni Iraola’s intense and direct tactical play. 

Eventually Liverpool won the game by a scoreline of 2-0, with 2 goals from Mohamed Salah bagging the 3 crucial points for the Reds, taking them 9 points clear at the top as of now. 

With his 2 goals yesterday, Salah reached the 177th goal mark, making him the 6th highest goal-scorer of all time in the Premier League. 

Liverpool's Egyptian king also reached the 20th goal mark in the Premier League this season, which makes him one of the only 4 players to have 5+ seasons with 20+ goals in the top flight division of English football.

Bournemouth’s wasted opportunity 

Yesterday’s defeat brought the end of an extraordinary run of results for Bournemouth, as they lost their first game in their last 13 games in all competitions.

Iraola and his men will surely be disappointed with their performance yesterday, as many would say that their inefficiency in front of the goal cost them a massive opportunity to beat arguably the best team in the league. 

Being one of the best teams in the league this season when it comes to transitions from defence to attack and launching quick counterattacks, Bournemouth had Liverpool’s midfield and defence engaged throughout the game in order to counter their high intensity. 

Having dangerous players in the form of Antoine Semenyo, Harry Brooks, and later Marcus Tavernier on wings, along with Justin Kluivert’s movements from the centre to out wide on the left, Bournemouth were able to apply a similar level of pressure as they did against Newcastle and Forest, whom they beat 4-1 and 5-0, respectively, in their last 2 matches.

However, despite the presence of the pressure and creativity, it seemed like Iraola’s goal scorers left their shooting boots at home as they failed to convert even a single chance yesterday, despite recording an xG of 1.52 as per SofaScore.

Bournemouth's 14 shots yesterday against Liverpool

Out of the 14 shots in total, Bournemouth only had 3 shots on target. They missed all of their 3 big chances, which included Justin Kluivert’s open goal miss from 5 yards out in the 69th minute, which came after Marcus Tavernier’s shot hit the post.

Arne Slot’s tactical tweaks for Liverpool to overcome Iraola’s men

Arne Slot yet again proved his worth with his intelligent game plan to counter yet another tough opponent. 

While he went for a similar lineup with no surprising changes, he definitely made some changes to the players’ roles, especially in the midfield. 

Alexis Mac Allister, who usually operates in a more advanced and attacking role, was seen in a more conservative role, operating deep in the midfield to cover up the spaces in the middle of the field in an attempt to try and cut out the passing lanes to stop the quick transitions from the Cherries.

His fellow midfielder, Ryan Gravenberch, who usually operates in a similar role that Mac Allister played yesterday, was observed in a more wide position on the right-hand side to deal with Justin Kluivert, who drifts wide on the left to provide support to Semenyo. 

Gravenberch’s presence also provided extra support to Alexander-Arnold, which allowed him to push forward despite the presence of two quick attackers on his wing.

Arne Slot’s game plan was again very direct, quite similar to what was observed against Nottingham Forest, only more effective this time.

Playing long balls out from the back was observed on many occasions throughout the game from the Reds, which also led to their first goal, as it allowed Cody Gakpo to make a darting run towards the goal before eventually being fouled in Bournemouth's box, resulting in a penalty for Liverpool.

The sequence of plays that led to Liverpool's two goals.

Liverpool's and Salah’s second goal was also a result of their sublime, direct play out from the back. The Reds managed to pass their way through the Bournemouth team from their own box in just 4 passes, with Jones eventually finding Salah, who completed the brilliant transition with a wonderful finish, sealing the deal for the table toppers.