Liverpool moved 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League with a comfortable win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, one of seven changes for the Reds, opened the scoring after a brilliant long-range pass from Jordan Henderson.
Naby Keita made it 2-0 before the break, slotting in with the outside of his foot after Mohamed Salah set him up with a sublime backheel.
Keita then turned provider for Salah as Liverpool eased to victory.
It extends Liverpool’s club record unbeaten run to 33 league games and they have won 15 of 16 Premier League matches this season.
The Cherries have now lost five consecutive matches and were dealt more bad news when Nathan Ake and Callum Wilson were both forced off with injuries either side of half-time.
Leicester City, Liverpool’s nearest rivals at the top of the league table, do not play until 14:00 GMT on Sunday, when they travel to Aston Villa. Defending champions Manchester City host neighbours Manchester United later on Saturday (17:30).
Reds cruise to another win
There is an air of invincibility about Liverpool this season, as they continue to chase their first league title for 30 years.
Saturday’s victory at the Vitality was so routine – though the early loss of Ake to injury weakened an already struggling Bournemouth back four.
But the Reds played with a swagger and a dominance which would have surely pleased manager Jurgen Klopp greatly.
They picked up their first clean sheet in 14 games and found new Premier League goalscorers in Oxlade-Chamberlain and Keita – the 15th and 16th players to score in the competition for Liverpool this season.
Going into the match, Klopp said “being top at Christmas is not important”, but with a crucial Champions League game against Red Bull Salzburg coming up on Tuesday, the fact Liverpool have such a commanding lead over their domestic rivals at this stage means he has been able to rotate players to keep them fresh.
Sadio Mane, the orchestrator of Liverpool’s 5-2 Merseyside derby victory over Everton on Wednesday, was an unused substitute alongside centre-forward Divock Origi, while 18-year-old Curtis Jones came on for his Premier League debut.
All in all, it was a successful afternoon for Liverpool, who just keep getting the job done.
