Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth: Player ratings as Reds go top of Premier League

Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League as a first-half blitz helped them beat Bournemouth 3-0 at Anfield.

Two goals in two minutes from Luis Diaz and a wonderful Darwin Nunez strike helped the Reds take a three-goal lead into the half-time break.

And they had little trouble in holding onto that result to ensure a shock defeat to Nottingham Forest last time out was quickly put behind them.

How the game unfolded

Bournemouth thought they had made the perfect start when Antoine Semenyo slid in to finish a deflected Justin Kluivert cross after just four minutes, but a brief VAR check confirmed initial suspicions of offside.

And that let-off only prompted Liverpool to start piling on the pressure, with Diaz, Mohamed Salah and Nunez all forcing Kepa Arrizabalaga into sharp saves in quick succession.

But, while the visiting goalkeeper had impressed in those moments, his decision to rush out towards a ball over the top he could not reach gave Diaz the freedom to tap into an empty net with 26 minutes gone.

The Colombian made it two shortly after, passing the ball through Kepa's legs on his weaker left foot from a tight angle after being played in by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

And Liverpool put the seal on a brilliant first-half performance when Nunez curled in beautifully after cutting in from the right-hand side.

With the game all but decided by the hosts' first-half exploits, it was perhaps no surprise that the second took on a more sedate pace.

Still, Liverpool had their chances to put the game even out of sight, with a weak Salah effort after dribbling into the box and a late Curtis Jones attempt on the counter perhaps their best.

Bournemouth, meanwhile, hit the bar after pinball at a corner as they came close to reducing the deficit with less than ten minutes remaining.

However, the result never really looked in doubt, with Arne Slot's men largely easing to an important three points.

Liverpool player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Caoimhin Kelleher - 6/10 - Followed up a loose pass by making a great save in the first half but did not have much to do after that.

RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold - 7/10 - Picked a perfect pass to play in Diaz for the second and did really well in one-v-one battles down his side.

CB: Ibrahima Konate - 7/10 - Cracked the game open with a ball over the top for Diaz and played a key role in stemming Bournemouth's attacking threat.

CB: Virgil van Dijk - 7/10 - Rarely troubled but that has a lot to do with how good he is and the fact he did not give the visitors a sniff.

LB: Andy Robertson - 6/10 - An energetic presence on the left-hand side, linking well with Diaz in the attacking phase.

DM: Alexis Mac Allister - 8/10 - A midfield all-rounder who is being unlocked by Slot's use of a deep-lying midfield two. Ran the show along with his partner Gravenberch.

DM: Ryan Gravenberch - 8/10 - He is fast turning into one of Liverpool's key men. Produced some outrageous moments of close control, used the ball brilliantly and was always there to plug gaps in the middle.

RM: Mohamed Salah - 6/10 - He has doubtless had better games for Liverpool but he still contributed to an impressive team display.

AM: Dominik Szoboszlai - 6/10 - Another energetic performance from the Hungarian, but he would have made a far bigger impact on the game were he a little tidier around the opposition box.

LM: Luis Diaz - 8/10 - If the Colombian continues to add goals to his game in this manner, then it is hard to argue that he is anything but the complete winger.

CF: Darwin Nunez - 7/10 - Responded to a first start of the season by scoring a fabulous goal that will do wonders for his confidence. Also backed it up by being a constant menace.

Substitutes

SUB: Curtis Jones (61' for Szoboszlai) - 6/10

SUB: Federico Chiesa (72' for Nunez) - 6/10

SUB: Cody Gakpo (72' for Diaz) - 6/10

Subs not used: Vitezslav Jaros (GK), Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota, Kostas Tsimikas, Jarell Quansah, Conor Bradley.

Manager

Arne Slot - 8/10 - Set his side up perfectly to bounce back from defeat to Forest. It has been a good week for the Dutchman.

Bournemouth player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 4/10 - Had made some excellent saves prior to conceding the first goal but was largely at fault for that and then too easy to beat after.

RB: Julian Araujo - 3/10 - All at sea for Liverpool's first and second goals and comprehensively lost his individual battle with Diaz.

CB: Dean Huijsen - 5/10 - Like his centre-half partner, he was too often left exposed, but you could also say he didn't deal with that particularly well, either.

CB: Illia Zabarnyi 6/10 - Won enough of his battles but was given too much to do by wave after wave of Liverpool attack.

LB: Milos Kerkez - 6/10 - Was always a good outlet for Bournemouth and did as well as could be hoped up against Mohamed Salah.

DM: Lewis Cook - 5/10 - Put himself about but did not do enough to stop Liverpool's midfield running all over his team.

DM: Ryan Christie - 5/10 - Completed every pass but didn't make a single tackle during his time on the pitch as Bournemouth were overrun in the middle.

RM: Antoine Semenyo - 6/10 - Had an early goal chalked off and was Bournemouth's biggest threat with his out-to-in runs. Let down by those around him.

AM: Justin Kluivert - 5/10 - Looked bright early doors but faded badly before being dragged off at half-time.

LM: Marcus Tavernier - 5/10 - A noble effort to try make things happen but simply didn't have enough to get through Liverpool's defence.

CF: Evanilson - 4/10 - A largely peripheral figure as Bournemouth failed to sustain any attacking momentum.

SUB: Dango Ouattara (46' for Kluivert) - 7/10

SUB: Alex Scott (70' for Christie) - 6/10

SUB: Adam Smith (70' for Araujo) - 6/10

SUB: Luis Sinisterra (70' for Semenyo) - 7/10

SUB: Enes Unal (76' for Evanilson) - 6/10

Subs not used: Mark Travers (GK), Marcos Senesi, David Brooks, James Hill.

Andoni Iraola - 5/10 - Dragged it back a little with his second-half subs but his team had no answer for Liverpool's sharpness in the middle of the park.