Núñez and Jota sink Bournemouth and extend Liverpool's lead at the top | first division

When Liverpool were at the Vitality Stadium in early November, the Ciarán storm broke and they won to advance to the Carabao Cup. There was another weather warning on Sunday, with the arrival of Storm Isha, and another powerful message. Liverpool are back from their winter break and have their eyes set on the first division qualification.

Once again, Storm Darwin broke out. In the cup tie, it was Darwin Núñez who scored the winning goal and it was his goal at the end of a clever play at the start of the second half that tipped the game in his team's favour.

The Uruguayan was very good in the second half, all power and threat, and was involved in the second goal that secured the points. Liverpool extending their lead at the top of the table to five points over Manchester City, although having played one more game.

Diogo Jota finished after Núñez challenged Illia Zabarnyi and substitute Cody Gakpo made the killer pass. After Jota scored again to make it 3-0, finishing after an initial error, it was Núñez who had the last word. Joe Gómez's cross was a beauty and what about the finish? Núñez directed the volley towards the far corner with the outside of his right boot.

Liverpool fights on four fronts; They have the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Fulham on Wednesday night. 2-1 up from the first. It's the league title they want most and the way they aggressively changed gears after a slow first half showed the confidence coursing through them.

Bournemouth are a different proposition now compared to early November, having made the necessary adjustments under Andoni Iraola. There was a pre-match statistic that ranked them as the most in-form team in the division over their last eight games.

They kept Liverpool at bay during the first half, putting bodies on the line when necessary; Neto did not stretch in the goal. When Harvey Elliott slid a ball inside right for Luis Diaz, his cross was blocked before it came off him and out. This is how the first half summed up for Klopp's team. Núñez missed a volley attempt at the far post. “You're nothing more than a fucking Andy Carroll,” the local crowd chanted. The Liverpool fans enjoyed singing that at the end of the game.

A big talking point came in the 36th minute when Justin Kluivert stretched out to make a tackle on Diaz, eyes on the ball, but got nowhere and crashed into his opponent's leg. In the replays it looked bad and it seemed that the VAR could intervene. He didn't, and Kluivert escaped without yellow or red. Liverpool had continued playing for a while while Diaz writhed in pain, so perhaps they didn't think he was that bad at the time. Players have been let go this season for similar challenges.

Bournemouth stirred as an attacking proposition just before the break, seeing a couple of shots blocked and creating a moment of genuine excitement when Luis Sinisterra fed Kluivert and he crossed low for the run of Ryan Christie. Frustratingly for Bournemouth, they were unable to muster a touch from close range.

Klopp had to do without two of his leaders: the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah, who is at the African Cup of Nations; Additionally, he has suffered a hamstring problem. The Liverpool manager, who missed out on many others and lost Curtis Jones to a muscle problem towards the end, had started with Nunez on the left and Jota in the middle, the setup that inspired the FA Cup. beat Arsenal two weeks ago.

Klopp had Núñez in the center at the start of the second half, Jota on the right, and it was a decision that paid off immediately. The play for the big goal was underlined by precision and technique, Jones shooting with a touch on the chest to control a cross ball from Ibrahima Konaté and a soft throw to Jota on the rebound. He knew where Núñez was and found him the first time. Núñez knew where the bottom corner was and he found it the first time. Liverpool tightened the screw. Jota felt a touch from Zabarnyi on the edge of the area and fell waiting for a penalty, which did not come – it could have come – while Conor Bradley missed a header when he was well positioned after Núñez approached the byline and crossed . Bradley emerged with honors at right back and would be credited with the assist for Jota's second goal after a low cross.

The needle held. Lewis Cook was booked for an attack on Bradley and shortly afterwards during the disentanglement operation, in which Klopp exchanged angry words with the Bournemouth bench. Klopp might be happier with his team's performance in the second half, as they pulled away, bristling with control and authority. He could also introduce some of his youngsters off the bench: Owen Beck, Bobby Clark and Kaide Gordon.

Bournemouth had shown promise in the first half but it would prove to be a tough test for them, and their woes were completed when substitutes David Brooks and Kieffer Moore squandered glorious chances during eight minutes of added time.