Press on Bournemouth 0-3 Liverpool: 'Naby Keita catches the eye'

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and Mohamed Salah were on the mark as Liverpool won 3-0 at Bournemouth on Saturday.

Jürgen Klopp's charges increased their club-record top-flight unbeaten streak to 33 matches.

Here is what the media made of the victory...

Theo Squires, Liverpool Echo

Keita provided a timely reminder of why he creates such excitement and intrigue among the Reds fanbase as Jürgen Klopp handed him his first Premier League start of the season. From the early moments Keita caught the eye, storming around the pitch, demanding the ball, spreading it to teammates and charging at the Cherries’ defence. And there was almost a sigh of relief when he opened his account for the season, playing the ball in to Salah’s feet before carrying on his run and finishing well from the Egyptian’s stupendous backheel. Keita then returned the favour in the second half, picking up a loose ball in midfield before bursting forward and threading through an inch-perfect through ball. His Bundesliga trademark. With a goal and an assist under his belt, he’ll return to Merseyside happy.

Neil Jones, Goal.com

It doesn’t matter which players Klopp plugs in at the moment, the result is the same. The Premier League leaders march on. Is anyone going to stop them this time? Bournemouth couldn’t. Eddie Howe’s side were not in the same league here. They’ve lost their last five now, but rarely can they have been so thoroughly outclassed. They couldn’t get near Liverpool. June, July, August, September, October and November have been pretty kind to the Reds, and December has started nicely too. The challenges come and the challenges go. Bournemouth were dismissed as Everton were in midweek. That’s 15 wins from 16 now, and 33 league games unbeaten. Both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita decorated their performances with goals, smartly-taken ones too. Liverpool have now had 16 different goalscorers in the Premier League this season. The club record, set in 1911-12 and 2015-16, is 17. The clean sheet will please the manager. It is only the third Liverpool have managed in the league all season, and their first since September. Rarely was it threatened.

Neil Moxley, Mirror

Twelve matches in 35 days between the last day of November and the first Saturday of the New Year means Klopp has had little choice but to dip into his selection box. And just like in the midweek Merseyside derby triumph over Everton, those who have been left on the outside, looking in, served up a treat. Such is the confidence in the system and each other that this is as near as dammit to the principle of ‘Total football’ as you can get. Klopp needs an alternative to Mane? Oxlade-Chamberlain fills the void. And guess who struck the opening goal? Keita, like Wijnaldum, has a bit of everything. Available, athletic, busy and capable from time to time of weighing in with the odd goal. Although the matches are coming as thick and fast as the Arctic snow, the Reds showed at the Vitality Stadium they have the resources to cope. That has to open up all kinds of possibilities. And if they can reach the home straight without key injuries, who knows what they might achieve.

Ed Elliot, Independent

Premier League leaders Liverpool moved 11 points clear after extending their unbeaten run to 33 top-flight games with a dominant 3-0 success at struggling Bournemouth. Salah's 10th goal of the season early in the second period sealed the three points as the European champions continued their seemingly relentless march towards a first title in 30 years. Liverpool’s commanding lead allowed Klopp to hand a Premier League debut to 18-year-old midfielder Curtis Jones and give Sadio Mane a well-earned rest on the bench. The visitors were content to wind the clock down rather than go full throttle for more goals and convincingly held on for a welcome first clean sheet in 14 games in all competitions.

This story has been reproduced from the media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.

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