Liverpool shrugged off the absence of Mohamed Salah to move five points clear at the top of the Premier League as Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez struck twice in a 4-0 win at Bournemouth.
The Reds’ title credentials will be tested while their star man is away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations.
But Jota and Nunez stood up to be counted to secure a vital win at one of the form sides in the Premier League.
Bournemouth had lost just once in their previous nine games to climb comfortably clear of the relegation zone.
However, the Cherries were held at arm’s length in the first half before Jurgen Klopp’s men turned on the style after the break.
Klopp in the dark over Salah timeline | 01:06
The visitors were restricted to pot shots in a first period devoid of clear chances.
Alexis Mac Allister and Nunez tested Neto from long range.
But the game turned on one moment of quality from Liverpool to break the deadlock on 49 minutes.
Jota’s first time pass put Nunez in the clear and the Uruguayan showed the poise he has often lacked in his Liverpool career to date to slot into the far corner.
Substitute Cody Gakpo then teed up Jota to fire in at the near post 20 minutes from time to end the game as a contest.
Jota was more fortunate for his second as the Portuguese fluffed his initial effort from Conor Bradley’s cross only for the ball to sit up for a second attempt which he drilled low and hard across Neto.
Nunez had scored just once in his previous 16 Liverpool appearances since scoring the winner against Bournemouth in the League Cup in early November.
The confidence he gained from finding the net earlier in the half showed as he slid in perfectly to meet Joe Gomez’s cross and round off a fine afternoon for Liverpool in stoppage time.
Manchester City have a game in hand on their title rivals to be able to shave Liverpool’s advantage at the top down to two points.
But after a season in the doldrums saw Klopp’s men slip to fifth last year, there is little doubt that they are once again the biggest threat to City’s crown as champions.
DEBATE OVER ‘RUGBY TACKLE’ AFTER NO-CALL IN CHAOTIC DRAW
Oli McBurnie scored a penalty 12 minutes into stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 draw for Sheffield United against West Ham in chaotic climax at Bramall Lane.
Both sides were also shown red cards in injury time as West Ham threw away the chance to close to within six points of the top four.
Twice David Moyes’ men led through Maxwel Cornet and James Ward-Prowse’s penalty.
But Ben Brereton Diaz’s strike on his Premier League debut for the Blades and McBurnie’s late spot-kick edged them to within seven points of safety.
The visitors were without the injured Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio, suspended Said Benrahma and Mohammed Kudus, who is representing Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Their absence was felt as West Ham failed to gain control of the game in blustery conditions.
But they went in front when Cornet smashed home his first goal for the club after Danny Ings’ deflected shot looped up at the back post.
Diaz failed to score a single goal during his six-month spell at Villarreal, but has made an quick impact on his return to English football.
The Chile international reacted quickest to fire home the rebound after Alphonse Areola denied William Osula.
Diaz missed a great chance at the start of the second period to turn the game around.
But Sheffield United looked destined for a 16th defeat in 21 Premier League games this season when Gustavo Hamer’s ill-timed challenge on Ings conceded a penalty 12 minutes from time and Ward-Prowse coolly slotted home the spot-kick.
The home side’s hopes appeared to have gone when Rhian Brewster was shown a straight red card for a wild challenge on Emerson Palmieri after a VAR review.
However, Vladmir Coufal was booked due to West Ham’s protests that the referee only initially showed a yellow card for that challenge and the Czech was then sent-off for a second booking moments later.
From the resulting free-kick, Areola was penalised for colliding with McBurnie as he rushed off his line to try and punch the ball to safety.
The French goalkeeper then had to be replaced by Lukasz Fabianski leading to a lengthy delay.
McBurnie, though, kept his nerve to drill the penalty low and hard into the corner.
The drama was not over as West Ham appeals for another penalty were controversially waived away when Jarrod Bowen was hauled over in the box by Anel Ahmedhodzic.
“The West Ham bench are fuming,” Sky Sports reporter Peter Smith said.
Former West Ham players Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand, meanwhile, both agreed a penalty should have been awarded while giving their take on the drama for TNT Sports.
“Absolutely [a] penalty,” Cole said.
“In the last minute of a game, [defenders] have got to keep [their] composure.
“Robinson realises at that moment, and then the panic kicks in. He puts his arms on arm; he’s not looking at the ball. I can’t see how they’ve not looked at that. That’s a rugby tackle.
“The referee has made three massive decisions that have lit this place up. The atmosphere was white hot. He probably just lost his nerve at that time. You need to be a brave referee in situations like that and just referee the game.”
“[Robinson] is not looking at the ball — he’s not even looking at Bowen,” Ferdinand added.
“He’s got his hands on him. His back is to play, and we can see his number with the ball coming from the opposite side. I don’t know how they haven’t looked at that and gone, ‘that’s a stonewall penalty’. If they called that [a penalty], this place would have erupted.”
West Ham manager Moyes was clearly frustrated post-game but avoided getting himself in trouble by saying too much about the decision.
“I’m certainly not going to talk about any referees. I don’t want to get myself in trouble,” he said.
“You should ask the referee [about these decisions]. We’ve got to a stage now where we are settling for a level of officiating where we are all shrugging our shoulders and saying: ‘OK.’ I’m shrugging my shoulders again, we don’t know what they are going to do.”
The frustrated Hammers had to settle for a point that edges them three points clear of Manchester United in sixth.
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