Liverpool put in a commanding display which had huge implications for a former Premier League manager
Liverpool equalled the biggest win in Premier League history just over two years ago, in a fixture which ended up having huge consequences for the opposition side. Bournemouth were on the receiving end of this dominant display in late August 2022, with goals from Luis Diaz (2), Harvey Elliott, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Roberto Firmino (2), Virgil van Dijk, Fabio Carvalho and an own goal rounding off a memorable afternoon at Anfield.
Mohamed Salah, remarkably, failed to get on the scoresheet during the afternoon, despite various team-mates getting in on the act as the Cherries crumbled in the scoring summer heat.
Bournemouth boss at the time of this fixture being played, Scott Parker, was left stunned by what he had witnessed, describing it as his “toughest day” in football management.
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Parker was dismissed just 25 days into the season – the earliest a manager of a newly promoted side has ever been sacked in the Premier League – and was the first Premier League manager in 18 years to lose his job in August and only the 11th to be sacked just four games into a season.
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This result ensured Bournemouth had conceded 16 goals in their opening four games of the season, having spent only a reported £24million before facing Liverpool, leaving Parker pulling no punches of his club’s inability to provide him with the talent to compete at the top-level.
Aware of the huge task facing his squad, Parker said at the time: “It goes without saying, it is a real humbling experience and one which was pretty shell-shocking in the sense of the result. I am not surprised in terms of the level we are playing against here and the quality is just far greater than what we have at this present time. It is not me making an excuse because there are some goals in that game which were down to our doing: the set-play goals were really poor and we could do something about that. I feel sorry for the fans, I feel sorry for the players because we are just a bit underequipped at this level from where we’ve come from and what we have. It has been difficult.
“It [the result] doesn’t shine a light on it [what’s going wrong] for me because throughout the summer that’s exactly where I’ve seen it. There are players playing in this team with huge quality but this is the first time they are experiencing Premier League and we are where we are. Of course, I never would have thought we would come here and get beaten 9-0 but I expected and saw things I knew this season would be a real challenge for us in certain moments, in certain games.
“This is the toughest day as a player and certainly as a coach, this is the most painful day that I have experienced. I could sense it was painful for the players on the pitch as well. I felt for every single one of them because they need some help and the levels were just too great.”
Asked if he had a message to send to the Bournemouth fans after the humiliating result witnessed by those in attendance, Parker added: “Yeah, I have. It was painful and, to be fair to them, every single one of them stuck behind the team and they probably understood where we currently are. I am immensely sorry for that result but I would like to think the general fan will understand what it was. They see a team were trying everything they possibly could. The levels were just far too great for us.
“Tonight will be a long, sleepless night and I’m sure the players will reflect and it will be a difficult one to process. We’re learning real, real harsh lessons and, at times, it’s probably not fair. The lessons you learn at this level, and not just against Liverpool or the other three fixtures we’ve had, this division is ruthless and that’s why I feel for these players. It can leave some scars in terms of the experiences they’re facing.
“Liverpool are ruthless and my boys were flat to the floor. I don’t think I could look at one of them and say we lacked here and there. At times, we were searching for oxygen and trying to breathe. It was a tough, humbling experience.”
