Liverpool equalled the Premier League's record win as they crushed sorry Bournemouth 9-0 at Anfield to claim their first victory of the season.

Jurgen Klopp's side had gone into the game facing pointed questions about a team depleted by injuries following a 2-1 loss to Manchester United on Monday.

But those questions were answered in remarkable fashion against Scott Parker's side as they scored twice in the opening six minutes and five times in the first half.

Luis Diaz opened the scoring with a fine header before Harvey Elliott found the net for the first time in the Premier League. Trent Alexander-Arnold answered critics of his performance at Old Trafford with a spectacular strike before Roberto Firmino capped a three-assist first half with a goal and Virgil van Dijk headed in the fifth.

Chris Mepham's own goal continued the rout after the restart, while Firmino and Diaz each doubled their tallies either side of a Fabio Carvalho goal to make Premier League history.

An incredible afternoon at Anfield #LIVBOU pic.twitter.com/f4zJO7ipIm

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 27, 2022

Diaz found the top-right corner with a powerful header back across goal from Firmino's cross, and Elliott produced both placement and power to bend into the bottom-left corner from the edge of the area.

Mohamed Salah twice saw gilt-edged chances go begging, turning wide at the end of an intricate move involving Diaz, Firmino and Elliott before his close-range volley was turned over by Mark Travers.

Yet Travers was helpless to deny Alexander-Arnold as he rifled a scorching long-range strike into the top-left corner and he was soon picking the ball out of his net once more when the excellent Firmino volleyed in after Salah's pass was deflected into his path.

There was yet more first-half pain for Bournemouth, which came courtesy of Van Dijk, whose towering header from Andrew Robertson's corner made it five.

Bournemouth's day was encapsulated under 60 seconds into the second half when Mepham turned into his own net under pressure from Diaz, who was in an offside position.

Firmino prodded in after Travers spilled Robertson's cross, with Carvalho then getting in the on the act with a volley and Diaz tying the record through a header from a near-post corner.
 

What does it mean? - Bournemouth just the tonic for Liverpool

Liverpool were poor at the back and lacking in incisiveness in attack in the defeat to United. Bournemouth proved the fix to both of those problems as the Reds ran riot.

Klopp's men were ruthless throughout, scoring five goals in the first half of a Premier League game for the first time and becoming the fourth Premier League team to score nine goals in a game after Manchester United, Tottenham and Leicester City.

The 9-0 margin equals the record set by United against Ipswich Town in 1995, which Leicester matched in October 2019 against Southampton before the Red Devils beat the same opposition by the same scoreline last February.

It is also the first time Liverpool have scored nine in a top-flight game since 1989, when they famously beat Crystal Palace by the same 9-0 scoreline.

Firmino's fabulous first half

Something of the forgotten man in Liverpool's star-studded attack, Firmino made club history by becoming their first player to be directly involved in four goals in the first half of a Premier League match.

He is also the first player overall to achieve that feat since Harry Kane scored a first-half hat-trick and provided an assist against Stoke City in February 2017.

4 - Roberto Firmino is the first Liverpool player to be directly involved in four goals in the first half of a single Premier League match (1 goal, 3 assists) and the first player overall since Harry Kane in February 2017 vs Stoke (3 goals, 1 assist). Sublime. pic.twitter.com/4mwosETIvM

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) August 27, 2022

Bitter afternoon for Cherries

Bournemouth have conceded 16 goals without reply since their 2-0 opening-day win over Aston Villa in games with Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool. Scott Parker will be relieved to have this stretch out of the way.

Key Opta facts

- This was Liverpool's joint-biggest margin of victory in their league history. As well as the Palace trouncing in 1989, Liverpool won 10-1 against Rotherham Town in 1896.

- Liverpool scored five goals in the first half of a single Premier League game for the first time, while Bournemouth suffered the joint-heaviest defeat in their entire league history, also losing 9-0 against Lincoln City in December 1982 in the third tier.

- Bournemouth have conceded more goals in their first four games of a Premier League season than any other side in the competition's history (16). The last time a top-flight side shipped as many goals at this stage of a season was in 1963-64 by Arsenal (also 16).

- Following goals from Elliott (19) and Carvalho (19), Liverpool had two different teenagers score in the same Premier League game for the first time in their history in the competition.

- Liverpool have won each of their last seven Premier League games against Bournemouth, by an aggregate score of 28-1.

- Firmino became the first Liverpool player to be directly involved in four goals in the first half of a Premier League match (1 goal, 3 assists) and the first player overall since Harry Kane in February 2017 vs Stoke (3 goals, 1 assist). The Brazilian's two goals and three assists across the 90 minutes made him just the third Liverpool player to have a hand in five goals in a Premier League game after Salah against Watford in March 2018 and Luis Suarez versus Norwich in December 2013.

- Robertson (50) became just the second defender in Premier League history to reach 50 Premier League assists after Leighton Baines (53).

What's next?

Liverpool welcome a Newcastle United side who went into the weekend unbeaten to Anfield on Wednesday, when Bournemouth will host Wolves.