A scintillating Mohamed Salah hat-trick led Liverpool to a comfortable 4-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Jurgen Klopp restored the Egyptian and Roberto Firmino back into the starting line-up and it paid dividends.
The Brazilian was involved as Salah opened the scoring in the 25th minute before doubling the visitors’ advantage early in the second half.
Andrew Robertson’s menacing cross forced an own goal off Steve Cook in the 68th minute before Salah completed his hat-trick with a good individual effort nine minutes later.
Here, we rate the performances of the Liverpool players.
STARTING XI (4-4-2)
Alisson Becker – Little to do but made a telling intervention to thwart Josh King. 7
James Milner – Slotted in at right-back with minimum fuss and dealt well with Ryan Fraser. Threatened with a couple of good crosses. 7
Joel Matip – Looked comfortable throughout, partnering Van Dijk effortlessly and gave Bournemouth’s attack nothing. 7
Virgil van Dijk – An assured performance in defence, reading the game well and making a few interceptions. 7
Andrew Robertson – Looked refreshed after a midweek rest and offered plenty of drive down the left. His fizzed low cross led to the third. 8
Xherdan Shaqiri – A bit of a subdued performance from the Swiss, playing on the right. Threatened with a couple of passes while his free-kick hit the top of the wall before he was hooked in the 65th minute. 6
Georginio Wijnaldum – Was good with the ball at his feet and directed play to a certain extent but perhaps didn’t have as much influence on proceedings as Klopp would’ve liked. 6
Fabinho – Kept things simple in the middle of the park. Always made himself available when Liverpool were in possession and kept things ticking over. 6
Naby Keita – Deployed on the left side of midfield, he provided thrust and showed good energy getting up and down the pitch. Pulled off a couple of neat nutmegs for good measure. 7
Mohamed Salah – Looked lively with a licence to roam up front. Made intelligent runs, relentlessly asking questions of the back-line and was rewarded with a deserved hat-trick. Not the player he was last season? Pfft! 10
Roberto Firmino – If Salah was the hero of the day, Firmino was the perfect sidekick. Showed well for the ball and linked up with the Egyptian to great effect, playing a big role in his first two. 8
SUBS
Sadio Mane – Offered another threat in attack for the Cherries but was never afforded a chance. 5
Adam Lallana – A superb ball over the top that led to Salah’s third. 6
Jordan Henderson – Came on in the closing stages and saw the game out. N/A
