Bournemouth vs. Liverpool: Winners and Losers from Capital One Cup Game
Liverpool advanced to the Capital One Cup semi-finals on Wednesday by beating Bournemouth 3-1 at the Goldsands Stadium.
Raheem Sterling put the Reds ahead by finishing off a sweet team move, then Lazar Markovic doubled the advantage before half-time. In the second half Sterling made it three, then really should have had a hat-trick before Dan Gosling pulled one back for the hosts as their pressure told.
Here, B/R picks its winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Lazar Markovic, Player of the First Half and Goal-Scoring Impressor
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Lazar Markovic started at left wing-back—an odd position for him to play—but over the course of the first 45 minutes, he turned in what was arguably the finest performance on the pitch.
The Serbian tracked Matt Ritchie within reason and attacked with verve and positivity, feeding some great balls into Philippe Coutinho and providing the cross for Jordan Henderson to tee up Raheem Sterling's goal.
After his red card against Basel, he had an apology to make. This is a good start.
Winner: Any Witnesses to Liverpool's First, Dreamy Goal
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Liverpool's first goal, headed home by Raheem Sterling, was a piece of art. Genuine art. It's been a while since such lavish praise has been directed toward anything the Reds have done on the pitch, but credit where credit is due.
"Brilliant #lfc goal. Brilliant @MailSport Match Zone graphic, powered by @OptaSuit pic.twitter.com/Eq7gXTU9Qc
— Alfie (Mark Alford) (@AlfieDM) December 17, 2014"
A total of 52 passes preceded Sterling's header, with Lazar Markovic, Philippe Coutinho, Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson all heavily involved.
Loser: Dejan Lovren, Who Was Removed After 45 Poor Minutes
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Once again, Dejan Lovren looked ropey at best in the defensive line. He's clearly not at ease in a three-man line, and with Mamadou Sakho—Liverpool's best centre-back—on the bench, this selection continues to baffle.
The Reds' left side gave up plenty of space for Bournemouth and Eddie Howe targeted it. While some of that's on Lazar Markovic, he did a reasonable job considering he is, you know, not a wing-back.
The torrent of abuse headed Lovren's way continues—particularly as he was removed at half-time.
Winner: Dan Gosling, Who Scored Against the Ol' Rivals
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Dan Gosling was once a very promising youngster on the books at Everton, and he's perhaps most famous for that goal against Liverpool, knocking them out of the FA Cup.
His career has taken a downward trajectory since due to severe injuries curtailing progress, but he's thriving at Bournemouth and scored another goal against the Reds here.
He could have had two, but his last effort struck the post with Brad Jones beaten.
Loser: Tommy Elphick, Who Had a Night to Forget
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All the Bournemouth players will have been looking forward to this one, but Tommy Elphick will be reluctant to watch the tape back on his performance.
Constantly caught out of position, gifting too much space away and failing to mark, it wasn't a strong night for the young man in front of the Sky Sports cameras.
Most notably, he lost track of Sterling for the opening goal and actually stopped playing in the build-up to the second, allowing Philippe Coutinho time to cut the ball back to Lazar Markovic.
Winner: Brendan Rodgers, Who May Have Fixed the Attack
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OK, so let's not get too hyperbolic here, but Brendan Rodgers has made some excellent strides in the last two games. The performance against Manchester United was simply missing a goal, and the performance here found them.
Raheem Sterling up front brings dynamism and speed, while the 3-4-3 may be the way to bring his best attacking players into form. The defending did not convince, but we're talking baby steps here. Since August this team has been awful, and the "fix" doesn't happen overnight.
Sterling, Adam Lallana, Philippe Coutinho and Lazar Markovic were excellent; this absolutely lands Rodgers in the winners' column this evening.
