At The Match: Salah double downs Bournemouth
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The Athletic FC Podcast Network. Hi Reds, James Pearce here, just finishing up at the Vitality Stadium where it finished Bournemouth 0 Liverpool 2. Coming up, we'll bring you all the best post-match reaction. We'll hear the best bits from Arna Slot's press conference and my colleague Mark Carey will drop in to give us his take on Liverpool moving another step closer to securing Premier League title glory. Jones...

So it's all over here at the Vitality Stadium. Liverpool securing a precious 2-0 victory to move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League. How good does that sound? Mohamed Salah, yet again, their match winner. He just oozes with joy.

class, doesn't he? A first half penalty so calm under pressure was followed by a simply sublime curling effort in the second half that secured the points. That's now 178 Premier League goals for Mo Salah. He's gone ahead of Frank Lampard into sixth place. He's only

Six goals behind Sergio Aguero in fifth spot. The Egyptian just keeps on rewriting the record books. Up to 25 goals for the season now, strengthening his grip on the Golden Boot.

And he loves playing against Bournemouth, doesn't he? That's now 10 in 11 games against the South Coast outfit. Credit to to Alisson Becker. I thought he was absolutely immense today. It was one of those games where he wasn't busy throughout, of course, that he rarely is in a team that's as dominant as Liverpool are. But when he was called upon, Alisson really stepped up and delivered so agilely.

so alert as well to the danger around him, so quick off his line. A couple of stunning saves, which, you know, if they'd gone in, you know, we'd be talking about a very different outcome because this was a game decided by some fine margins along the way and having Alisson operating at the peak of his powers made a big, big difference. I thought Bournemouth were excellent. They showed exactly why they've gone 11 games unbeaten prior to this defeat. Of course, they'd beaten Arsenal, they'd beaten Manchester City.

and you know they'll be kicking themselves they'll probably think they could have got something out of this they hit the woodwork twice they had a goal narrowly ruled out for offside as well in the first half and

I've got to say, the groundsmen here haven't wasted any time. You can hear that whirring noise. That's the lawnmowers at the Vitality Stadium that I'm battling against. But yeah, the only downside for Liverpool really was that worrying sight of Alexander-Arnold limping off with about 20 minutes to go. I asked Arne Slott about that. And yeah, he's going to need to go for a scan to determine the extent of the damage. So we'll

Of course, thankfully, it's an area where Liverpool are blessed with cover. I thought Conor Bradley was excellent when he came on and really shored things up down that side. So we could be looking at an extended run in the side for Conor Bradley, depending on the results of those scans for Alexander-Arnold. So fingers crossed for him. Stats-wise, it was a real even game, wasn't it? I think Liverpool had 51% of the ball.

They always had the greater quality, I thought, in the final third. Seven shots on target against three. In terms of expected goals, it was 2.66 against one, which I think despite some big moments going Liverpool's way, they were the superior force. You only had to look at what it meant to that away end with the jubilant celebrations there.

to know the significance of this result because I think Liverpool's rivals, the ones still hoping that they can chase them down in this title race, would have looked at this fixture, they'd have looked at Bournemouth's form and thought, you know what, maybe that is where Liverpool's wobble starts. But no, I thought it was a real gritty, spirited, resilient performance from slot side.

dug in when they needed to and showed the quality to get the game won. It was the same XI, wasn't it, who took to the field against Ipswich last weekend. No surprises there. Nine of the XI had been rested.

against PSV in midweek. A lot of talk about Liverpool not strengthening this transfer window, but I can understand why. When you look at that bench today, the welcome sight of Jones and Nunes and Jota, all back in the matchday squad after illness and injury, there is depth there. There wasn't even room on the bench today for Chiesa or Gomez. And he had the first half...

I thought, you know, Bournemouth, they do ask a lot of questions of you. They are physical. It was a real bruising battle. You know, Semenyo was a menace throughout. He kind of put out a statement, I think, inside about 15 seconds when he tested Alisson after taking the ball off Alexander-Arnold. And of course, you know, with their high press, they are aggressive. And it was interesting, you know, Liverpool went long at times.

To bypass that press, they also, you know, they move Gravenberg across to the right just to provide a bit more cover for Alexander-Arnold and to help him deal with the attacking threat of Kyrkes, who showed why he is regarded as one of the best left-backs around.

So yeah, Alisson denying Kluivert as well in that kind of opening 15 to 20 minute period. And then you had Semenyo hitting the post. He's all pace and power, isn't he? And he worked the opening from a tight angle, hammered against the woodwork. And Liverpool were crying out for Semenyo.

Just a little bit of inspiration, really, just to try and get a kind of firm grip on the game. And in the end, it came via a penalty. It was, you know, a ball over the top. Gagpo running on. Cook in his desperation to make amends. Clips his heels. I know there's been a lot of debate about it. Certainly the Bournemouth fans around me were raging. But VAR took another look at it. I don't think Cook...

it wasn't a cynical foul, but I think you've got to ask yourself, there's no other reason why Gagpo would have gone down in that position. He was through on goal. So, you know, he was clipped. And of course, it doesn't take much when you're going at that pace to knock you over. And then Salah steps up, you know, calm as you like, slots home. And he breaks the deadlock. He certainly can. His 20th Premier League goal of the season. And Liverpool lead with a third of the contest score.

And then, you know, Alexander-Arnold went close from a Salah cross and there was a real let-off when down the other end before the break, Brooks thought he'd equalised, the flag goes up and then it was a marginal call but it was one that went in Liverpool's direction. Kierkegaard had strayed just marginally offside

in the build-up. And then second half brought more of the same. I thought Bournemouth were really good. First 15-20 of the second half. Flew out of the traps, put Liverpool under a lot of pressure. But they stood firm. I thought the two centre-halves today were outstanding. Canate making a big block from Kluivert. Again, Alisson really alert, coming off his line to deny...

Semenyo. And I thought, credit to Slott as well, I thought his changes were really positive and impacted the game. I think people around here were howling for McAllister to get his second yellow. And I like the fact that Slott responded to that by taking McAllister off, bringing on Curtis Jones, because I think one more foul for McAllister and Darren England would have been under real pressure to have sent him off. And then, of course, the enforced change with Alexander and Arnold going off injured.

Conor Bradley coming on and then Nunes, I think that was a smart move, just giving them a bit more physicality as a focal point in attack. Nunes on, Gagpo off and Diaz moved out to the left for the final 20 minutes. So Bournemouth just kept on coming, didn't they? Tavernier, great strike.

the one time Alisson was soundly beaten but the inside of the post came to Liverpool's rescue and then you expected Kluivert especially in the form he's in to tuck away the rebound but he made an absolute hash of it and Kluivert still you know cursing that miss when down the other end Salah showed him the way I think

Curtis Jones gets some stick from a section of Liverpool's fan base that I just don't understand. He's such a gifted footballer and he showed it with, I thought, that cameo today. He started the move on the edge of his own box. He ran, what, 50, 60 yards to get back involved in the move. Sweeps it out to Mo Salah on the right. Salah cuts inside.

How many times have we seen that? The left-footed curler into the far corner. Kepa, absolutely no chance. No, Salah has now gone past 20 goals in the English top flight in five different campaigns. Only Shira Aguero and Kane have managed...

to do that previously and that killed it off really. There was one more piece of brilliance from Alisson late on after a couple of deflections. I think the final one was off Canarte where Alisson was going to his left, had to change direction so quickly to get down low to his right but he did it to ensure that he kept hold of that precious

clean sheet Bournemouth beaten in the league for the first time since November for Liverpool now unbeaten in 19 league games 14 wins five draws unbeaten away in 14 away games in the Premier League as well uh only only have to go back to from January 2019 to February 2020 for the last time Liverpool had a longer run without defeat on the road in the Premier League and uh

Yeah, I think Mo Salah probably fancied a hat-trick the way he was going at Bournemouth in those closing stages, but that wasn't to be. Slott decided to give him the chance to get a standing ovation from that away and subbed him off

late on and yeah the 1300 Liverpool fans to my right left the Egyptian in absolutely no doubt about their adoration for him. Another sizeable hurdle cleared in Liverpool's pursuit of Premier League glory. Of course Arsenal could cut the gap to six points if they beat Man City on Sunday but Liverpool don't need to worry about anyone else. They just need to keep taking care of their own business and of course now the focus will shift

to Thursday's Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Tottenham at Anfield. And Liverpool will go into that with momentum behind them as they look to secure another Wembley showdown. This is Walk On, your dedicated Liverpool podcast from The Athletic. First up in his press conference, Arnaz Swart was asked for his assessment of the afternoon's action and in particular how that was a real battle that his side had to overcome. It was, as expected. So I said before the game,

After our home game when we were 3-0 up at half time, the way they came at us the second half, I already knew what a great mentality this team has and quality as well. From that moment onwards they've done so well in the league and they've picked up points against so many good teams, not by luck but because they're intense, they have quality and that's why we knew it was always going to be very hard.

If you want to win here, maybe you need a bit of luck as well, because the margins are so small. Our penalty was just not offside and their goal on 1-1 was on a margin offside. They hit the post twice. We had our chances as well, but it was a close call.

for us to win this game. Next up, Arne Slot was asked how pleased he was with the manner in which Liverpool handled the physicality of this Bournemouth team, who certainly have the ability to bully opponents. Only a few of them have been as tough like this, and that's what I've told them before, that in all the data when it comes to running, they are so high up in the table.

So we knew that if we would have had any chance of a result over here, we at least had to compete with them in terms of running and fighting and playing the duels and all these things. And I think that's what the players did today. Then having Mo Salah definitely helps.

in a game like this. Well, I got the chance to ask Arne Slot a couple of questions and one of them was if he could tell us what the situation was with Trent Alexander-Arnold after he was forced out of that contest with 20 minutes remaining. The situation was that he said to me, you have to take me off and then he...

He sat on the floor and we took him off. So he felt something. I can't tell you exactly what and how bad it is of course because we are one hour after the game. But it's never a good sign if a player is asking for a substitution. So I would be surprised, this is not a fact, but I would be surprised if he plays on Thursday.

Let's hope he's back with us as soon as possible. I also asked Arne Schlott about the importance of Alisson Becker's contribution today and the fact that he contributed two or three absolutely world-class saves to such a hard-fought victory. Like I said, if you want to win here against a team that is so competitive, you need a team performance and work rate. That's what we have. And you need some quality individuals that can make the difference for you. And that goal of Mo was absolute quality.

and the saves Alisson made as well. But it was not only them, just the way our centre-backs were defending again today was also impressive. So team performance, work rate, incredible. Only way to have a chance for a result and then you need good individual performance and you need positive margins.

Like I just explained, it was both our sides that were in our favour. Well, Slot was then asked about the significance of this victory in the context of the Premier League title race, because it certainly felt like that kind of win that kind of sets champions apart from those who go close and fail. Almost every game feels like this for me. So we've had so many of our games have been, till the end, exciting and exciting.

There were a few moments already this season where I felt we were just not on the right side, so all the points we've got till now, I think we deserve them. I've said many times already, the Chelsea game, that's under debate then maybe, and this game, yeah, we weren't unlucky, let's put it that way, but Fulham at home being 2-2, getting chance after chance, United at home getting chance after chance at 2-2, and there was another game for us that ended in a draw with us getting chance after chance in the end of the game.

But what I want from them and what they want from each other is that they fight in every single game from the first to the last second to get the maximum result and that's what the fans expect from them. Playing for this club

And that's what we try to do in every single game. And that's also what's necessary if you want to have any chance of a result in this league. Well, next up was a tactical question and Slot was asked if he could just explain the reasoning behind Gravenberg being positioned more out to the right-hand side today. I think it's clear that they have many good things, this team. But their left full-back is definitely a threat going forwards.

Mo Salah is an incredible player, but his main strength is not following the opposite full-back. Some people are laughing over here, I don't know why that is, and I see a goal over here. But that's not the only thing, we want to keep Mo as much as we can forward as well, because it is a risk for every team that plays us if the left full-back goes. I think it was, what's the game we played? I think one or two games ago.

It was at home, I don't exactly know which game we played last at home. Did he score? Yeah, the first goal Moe. And that was a moment where the left full-back just wanted to go forward and then Moe was free in transition and it was a goal for Moe. But it's clear that if you leave Trent constantly with Semenyo and Kerekac in the 2-3-1, that is not the best idea.

that I can come up with. Well, there were a lot of Bournemouth fans furious about the award of that penalty in the first half and Swat was asked for his thoughts on that decision and whether he thought it was controversial. Online there's always controversy, especially from fans that are probably not in favour of Liverpool. The only thing I can say is, and I haven't seen it back, is that one of my players is on a clear 1v1 to the goalkeeper.

and he's falling down. So either he makes a dive, or they touch him. And if they touch him, then for me it's a penalty. If then it would not have even been a chance, you're always like, "Is this really a penalty then?" But this was such a clear one-on-one chance that...

Yeah, if he touched him, which I assume he did, otherwise the VAR would have probably interfered. And finally, Slot was asked whether he felt that luck had gone Liverpool's way at key moments in this contest, in particular a couple of narrow off sides at either end that had gone in Liverpool's favour and also the fact that Bournemouth had been denied by the woodwork twice. I can come up with three, four, five examples where we didn't have the luck we deserved or we didn't get the decision we deserved.

But that's always the difficult thing in football. If there's one then in your favour, people will probably tell you, there's always that luck for Liverpool or for the one that's number one at the moment. So, yeah, for me, this has nothing to do with luck. It's a clear 1v1. And I can tell you if Cody Kakpo goes 1v1 to the goalkeeper, it's quite a big chance as well. Yeah, if you are then tripped.

It is a penalty and it's not like it's a penalty from a little push from a set piece and it wasn't even a chance. So I wouldn't call this luck unless I see it back and I see he didn't touch him at all. Yeah, Dan, it was not luck. Then it was a wrong decision by the referee and the VAR but I assume that that was not the situation.

Hello, Mark Carey here, reporting from a very cold Vitality Stadium after Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners against Bournemouth. Two goals from Mo Salah, of course. I think it was quite an interesting game overall. I think it was, as we expected it to be, quite transitional. Quite a lot of challenges flying in. A few fouls more towards the second half. It got quite niggly at times, quite scrappy, but...

I think it was an interesting tactical battle over all two teams who pride themselves on that physical intensity and obviously when it came down to it Liverpool coming out on top with the quality that they showed.

I thought Liverpool looked to go long quite a lot for that reason, knowing that Bournemouth are quite a high-pressing team. I thought that was quite interesting to see. You could see it from the very first minute when Alisson didn't elect to play it short out to either of his defenders. He went straight direct to Cody Gakpo to win the aerial battle and knock it on for Luis Diaz. That was a bit of a theme of the early part of the first half, but it was a theme throughout the game, really. And I looked into the numbers on it after the game and

Liverpool had 13% of their passes that they made went long and that was the third highest that they've had in the league this season so it was a clear tactic in that regard and in many ways the long ball was kind of how the first goal came about it was a long diagonal play to Cody Gakpo more towards his feet obviously he went to drive in towards the box and got brought down by Lewis Cook of Bournemouth for Mo Salah to finish so it was a

Liverpool playing to their strengths of the transitional play and knowing the strengths of Bournemouth and working around that. In many ways, the second goal was equally transitional. Liverpool winning it back in their own half and quickly driving forward to get beyond the

the Bournemouth midfield we've seen that so many times from them this season of course it was a wonderful finish by Mo Salah I'm sure that's been spoken about so much already on this podcast another example though of Liverpool's counter-attacking play and it's something I've spoken about a lot about Liverpool is that you know get tight to them and they can go long step off them and they can knock it around and have a long sequence of play and it seemed like they needed to go long more this time against Bournemouth given the strengths that they offer so yeah

As I say, it was always going to be interesting to see the two styles between the two teams and who came out on top. But Bournemouth did have a few chances, to be fair. They hit the woodwork a couple of times, but obviously it was Liverpool's quality that shone through. In terms of other interesting things that I noticed, I thought it was interesting to see Ryan Gravenberg pull more towards the right-hand side in today's game.

any past networks or any of his average position in this game, you'll see that he was really quite far towards the right-hand side. And I don't know whether that was Liverpool maybe looking to play more with a double pivot to add extra protection alongside Alexis McAllister or whether it was just Alexis McAllister being one of the solo pivots and

Ryan Gravenberg maybe looking after Justin Kluivert more, you know, out of possession as well. It looked like he was tracking him whenever Liverpool were out of possession and it just shows the versatility of Ryan Gravenberg to have more of a disciplined performance overall. He maybe wasn't the most influential on the game, on the ball, as we often see the ball and Liverpool's build-up going through him, but he was equally important for the overall performance that he gave and

I think it was a good performance from all three of Liverpool's midfielders, if you include McAllister and Dominic Sobislao, of course, as well. I think it was always going to be crucial that Liverpool had strength and intensity in that midfield, given the way that Bournemouth like to themselves have intensity in midfield. But,

Overall, a job well done for Liverpool. A really tricky away fixture. And as much as anything, Arnott will be happy that they just maintained that lead at the top of the table.

So that's it for me here at the Vitality Stadium. I'm about to embark on a long journey from the South Coast back up to Merseyside. Dry January has been well and truly completed. So when I get there, I'll be raising a glass to Arna Slot's Premier League leaders who overcame another stern test and are a step closer to achieving that 20th league title that Liverpool crave. For plenty more match reaction and analysis, check out The Athletic. I'll be back.

with Tony Evans and the rest of the team for this week's Walk On podcast. Thanks for joining me and we'll catch you then.