Liverpool fire nine past Bournemouth in record-equalling victory

Liverpool's Luis Diaz celebrates scoring their side's ninth goal of the game during the Premier League match at Anfield, Liverpool Credit: PA

Liverpool recorded their first win of the season with a record-equalling 9-0 Premier League victory against promoted Bournemouth.

Manager Jurgen Klopp’s calls for improvement were heeded in style on Saturday, when nobody inside a rocking Anfield could have predicted they would witness Liverpool matching their biggest top-flight win ever. Six different Liverpool players including Luis Diaz, Harvey Elliott, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Roberto Firmino and Virgil van Dijk scored in a whirlwind first half against shell-shocked Bournemouth.

50 years of extra time for schoolboy football match

Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington has emergency surgery after miscarriage

Chris Mepham’s own goal set the tone for the second half, with Firmino, Fabio Carvalho and Diaz scoring as Liverpool just failed to take it to double digits. Just pipped to the title last term, the Reds struggled in the opening weeks of this campaign as draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace were compounded by Monday’s galling loss at rivals Manchester United. Asked to describe the win in one word, Liverpool boss Klopp told the post-match press conference: “Needed." “A lot of different goalscorers, all these kinds of things. Wonderful goals, fantastic situations and we all know that we needed something like that. “We had bigger chances in other games and didn’t use them. That’s the nature of the thing.”

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To know... 

Bournemouth manager Parker had warned of a potential backlash from Liverpool in the build-up and was left rocked by a result that underlined the need for new faces ahead of Thursday’s deadline. “This is the toughest day as a player and certainly as a coach,” Parker said.

“This is the toughest and most painful day that I have experienced, for sure. “It goes without saying it’s a real humbling experience and one which was pretty shell-shocking, really, in the sense of the result. “But at this present moment in time I feel sorry for the fans, I feel sorry for the players, to be honest with you, because at the moment we are just a bit underequipped at this level from where we have come from.”