Mohamed Salah’s double helps Liverpool open up nine-point lead in title race | OneFootball

Liverpool moved nine points clear at the top of the Premier League as Mohamed Salah scored twice in a 2-0 win against Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.

Arne Slot’s leaders were aiming to become to first team to beat their hosts in the league since November 23 and they were given a stern test en route to ending an 11-match unbeaten run for Andoni Iraola’s side.

The league’s top scorer Salah, as so often during this wonderful Liverpool season, was the difference, scoring a penalty in the first half and a brilliant solo goal in the second to secure his team’s 17th win in their 23 games, but along the way Bournemouth put up a real fight.

Things did not go the home side’s way during a first half in which they hit the post, had a goal disallowed and fell behind following a contentious penalty award.

Iraola’s side came at Liverpool early. Alisson was alert to deflect behind Justin Kluivert’s near-post drive following a poor defensive header from Trent Alexander-Arnold, the closest either side came to scoring in the opening 20 minutes, before Antoine Semenyo left Liverpool’s goalframe quaking with a bullet effort against the woodwork.

It was from a quick transition, the kind at which Bournemouth have excelled this season, that Liverpool won their penalty.

Cody Gakpo seemed to have got clear of Lewis Cook as the pair chased a long ball into the home side’s box. The Liverpool player tripped, though there was more than a suggestion that he may have stumbled over his own foot. VAR upheld Darren England’s on-field decision, and from the spot Salah slipped the ball just beyond the dive of Kepa for 1-0.

A hairline VAR call denied David Brooks an equaliser, Milos Kerkez judged to have been fractionally offside before his teammate lashed in what would have been a wonderful goal.

The officials left the field at half-time to a chorus of boos from home supporters who felt the visitors owed their lead to two botched decisions.

Semenyo missed a glorious opportunity to level at the start of the second half. Ryan Christie slipped a delightful reverse pass into the left channel to where Semenyo had found space, his attempt to slide the ball inside the post foiled by an excellent stop by Allison who raced out to smother.

Supporters’ ire with the officials was reawakened by the referee’s decision not to show a second yellow card to Alexis Mac Allister for catching Brooks with a high boot after the ball had gone. Mac Allister had been booked only minutes earlier for preventing Dango Ouattara from breaking with the ball and was treading on dangerous ground.

Substitute Marcus Tavernier came within a whisker of levelling, turning away cleverly from Andy Robertson before opening his body and sending an effort crashing against the inside of the post.

Bournemouth had had their chance and now came Liverpool’s. Luis Diaz played the ball infield to Curtis Jones who in turn moved it wide on the right to Salah.

There was the narrowest gap at Kepa’s far post into which to aim and it was all Salah required, his curling effort watched on its way by the static goalkeeper as it clipped the net.