Mo Salah can take another record as Klopp aims for exclusive 600 milestone

Liverpool travel to Bournemouth this weekend looking to extend a run of four wins from five in the league, all with clean sheets.

The next stop on Liverpool’s chase for top four comes at the Vitality against a team that the Reds have a relatively favourable record against.

Bournemouth have only ever recorded one win over Liverpool, a seven-goal thriller back in 2016, and will inevitably be looking to improve on the performance which saw them fall to a record 9-0 defeat earlier this season.

Let’s take a look at some of the key stats ahead of Saturday’s fixture.

 

A happy hunting ground

BOURNEMOUTH, ENGLAND - Saturday, December 7, 2019: Liverpool's Naby Keita (L) celebrates scoring the second goal with team-mate Mohamed Salah during the FA Premier League match between AFC Bournemouth and Liverpool FC at the Vitality Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Since Bournemouth‘s first-ever promotion to the top flight in 2015, the Cherries have hosted Liverpool on five occasions in the league.

The Reds have picked up maximum points in four of those games, with Bournemouth‘s solo win coming in the aforementioned 4-3 in December 2016.

Liverpool have won their last three league visits to Bournemouth by scores of 4-0, 4-0 and 3-0.

The sides have met 11 times in league history, with Liverpool scoring 36 and conceding eight, hitting nine in one game and shipping four in another.

Bournemouth have only found the net once in the previous seven meetings between the sides, conceding 28 times in that time.

 

No. 56 to help get No. 600?

NAPLES, ITALY - Wednesday, September 7, 2022: Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp (L) speaks with Mohamed Salah during the UEFA Champions League Group A matchday 1 game between SSC Napoli and Liverpool FC at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Jurgen Klopp could become just the sixth Liverpool boss in history to reach 600 league points with Liverpool.

The German would follow Tom Watson, Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley, Kenny Dalglish and Rafa Benitez in achieving the feet.

In case he hasn’t broken enough records, a goal would see Mohamed Salah become the club’s all-time top scorer away from home in the Premier League. The Egyptian is currently tied with Michael Owen on 55 goals.

 

Record breakers in August

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 27, 2022: Liverpool's scoreboard records 9-0 during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Liverpool’s 9-0 thrashing of Bournemouth at the beginning of the season matched the all-time Premier League record.

The victory equalled the record set by Man United with wins over Ipswich (1995) and Southampton (2021), as well as Leicester‘s win over Southampton 9-0 at St Mary’s (2019).

Along with that, it was the first time the Reds had scored five goals in the opening half of a Premier League game and the first occasion in any top-flight fixture since 1958.

It was Liverpool’s joint-second biggest-ever league win, and the largest margin of victory since a 9-0 win over Crystal Palace in 1989.

 

Milestones

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 27, 2022: Liverpool's Roberto Firmino celebrates after scoring the fourth goal during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

The departing Roberto Firming could continue his farewell tour against Bournemouth in what would be his 250th league appearance for the club.

Diogo Jota is also in line for a personal landmark, the Portuguese forward looking to make it a century of games for the Reds in all competitions.

A shut-out would see Liverpool complete three consecutive league clean sheets on the road for the first time since March 2022.

 

Penalty ducks collide

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, August 27, 2022: Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold during the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Incredibly, Saturday’s showdown will feature the only two sides yet to be awarded a penalty in the league this season.

Bournemouth, in December 2019, became the first side to lose five consecutive top-flight meetings with Liverpool by a margin of three or more goals, a combined score of 17-0 to the Reds.

The 9-0 loss at Anfield earlier in the season equalled the Cherries’ record league defeat, a record set in 1982 when they lost to Lincoln in the third tier.

Bournemouth have scored eight goals in 11 league meetings between the sides, with half of those goals coming in a 38-minute during Bournemouth‘s only win over Liverpool in 2016.

The Cherries have conceded three or more goals in a league game on eight occasions this season, and have shipped seven goals in their last two during defeats to Man City and Arsenal.

 

Scorers this season

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, March 7, 2020: Liverpool's goal-scorers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané after the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and AFC Bournemouth at Anfield. Liverpool won 2-1. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Bournemouth: Billing 5, Anthony 4, Moore 4, Solanke 4, Lerma 3, Tavernier 3, Christie 2, Marcondes 2, Senesi 2, Genesini 1, Lowe 1, Stanislas 1.

Liverpool: Salah 22, Nunez 14, Firmino 10, Elliott 5, Diaz 4, Gakpo 4, Alexander-Arnold 3, Carvalho 3, Van Dijk 3, Bajcetic 1, Matip 1, Oxlade-Chamberlain 1, own goals 4.


* Stats courtesy of LFC statistician Ged Rea (@ged0407).