Nunez and Jota score braces as Liverpool thrash Bournemouth

Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez each scored a brace, as Liverpool eased past Bournemouth with a 4-0 win over and increasing their lead to five points at the summit of the Premier League table.

Action: In an evenly contested first half, it took 19 minutes for either team to register a shot. Despite the challenging wind conditions, Liverpool began to assert control in the final minutes of the first half.

Just four minutes into the second half, a quickly played ball from Ibrahima Konate sailed over the advancing Bournemouth defence, Curtis Jones found ample space between the lines, delivering a precise pass to Jota, who promptly squared the ball for Nunez to calmly slot it into the bottom corner.

In the 70th minute, the Reds doubled their lead after another direct ball caused panic in Cherries' backline. 

Nunez shrugged off Illia Zabarnyi, holding up the ball for Cody Gakpo to play it into Jota's path and the Portuguese expertly struck the ball off Neto's near post.

With 11 minutes to play, the visitors put the game to bed. Conor Bradley's cutback found Jota, who initially missed the ball, but quickly recovered, being the first to the loose ball and firing a low strike beyond Neto.

Darwin Nunez completed his brace in stoppage time, taking advantage of Bournemouth being reduced to ten men after Max Aarons limped off injured with all five substitutes already on the pitch.

Liverpool's no.9 cleverly positioned himself at the back post, finishing with precision as he connected with Joe Gomez's superbly delivered cross.

Big Picture: Liverpool's victory extends their lead to five points over second-placed Manchester City, although they have played one more game than the reigning champions led by Pep Guardiola. The Cherries stay 12th and  maintain a nine-point buffer from the relegation zone.

Next up, Liverpool are set to face Fulham in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final on Wednesday night. 

Meanwhile, Bournemouth will play in the FA Cup fourth round on Thursday evening, hosting Championship side Swansea City.

xG: Bournemouth (1.41) 0-4 (1.75) Liverpool

Stat of the Day: Darwin Núñez is the first Premier League player to register at least 10 goals and 10 assists in all competitions this season.