Liverpool marched on, though with no little relief, their post-match celebrations reflecting the importance of victory. Arne Slot’s team had not triggered the traps Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth had used to snare the top-four contenders Manchester City, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest this season.
It was Mohamed Salah who snatched the three points. If his first came after a highly debatable penalty award, the second, a left-foot chip like a prime Tiger Woods approach shot, was a goal of inarguable beauty. In negotiating one of their most demanding remaining assignments, Slot’s team, now nine points clear, sent the pressure back into Arsenal’s fraying mindset. Salah’s goals are guiding Liverpool to their key objective. “My main target is to win the Premier League with the team, we are going in the right direction,” said the Egyptian king.
