Liverpool 3-0 Bournemouth: Superb Darwin Nunez strike and two goals from Luis Diaz help Reds bounce back after shock loss to Nottingham Forest

This scene had happened before: a ball in the right direction, Darwin Nunez chasing it, curiosity and fear in the stands.

Nunez, the man who cost Liverpool a king’s ransom two summers ago, has a talent for burning, but there have been too many occasions when those actions have ended in debauchery or waste. For that reason, there was no buzz of anticipation as there would have been if it had been Mo Salah.

But with Liverpool two goals up in the 38th minute, Nunez felt emboldened to charge at Bournemouth’s creaking defence. Illia Zabarnyi tried to shadow him, forcing him to his right, away from danger. Surely nothing could happen here? He was closer to the touchline than to goal.

Wrong. Nunez, with enough space to squeeze inside, cut inside and left Zabarnyi off balance. Suddenly he was a step ahead, working angles like a snooker player looking for maximum clearance. Then came the lift-off. Bang! A left-foot rocket flew past Kepa Arrizabalaga, hit the post and crashed in.

The sound that accompanied the goal was different, giddily euphoric. Nunez, for all his weaknesses, is someone who wants to make the Kop work and this was a tantalizing glimpse of what he can be when it all comes together – comparisons with his Uruguayan compatriot Luis Suarez are not far from the truth.

‘My first thought when he walked into the penalty area was, “Why are you shooting?”‘ Arne Slot said, laughing. ‘And a second later I looked up and thought to myself, “Maybe you’re a better footballer than I ever was!” It was a great goal.’

No one felt the need to challenge Liverpool’s head coach over his observation. This was Nunez’s first goal for his club since April 4 – it had come in 541 minutes and 15 appearances between drinks – and the significance was immense, as Nunez looked close to tears as he ran to the corner flag.

“He has to keep working and be important when he gets the chance,” said Virgil van Dijk, who made it clear that it might be fun, but that this alone will not help him achieve long-term success. “He has a very good ‘opponent’ or ‘rival’ or whatever you want to call it in Diogo Jota.

“So they have to challenge and push each other. That’s the only way we can be successful. The way he responded after his first start of the season is the way we want to see him. He has to keep working, just like the rest of the team.”

Nunez lacked confidence, was disappointed that Slot had not started him so far, but for the first time in the Dutchman’s reign he unleashed an important step to repair the damage. The goal was of course the highlight, but there was much more behind everything he did.

Take, for example, his return to his own half – right by Andy Roberton’s left-back position – and subsequent tackle in the 30th minute to win a throw-in that drew almost as many cheers as the two goals Luis Diaz had just scored.

“I play a striker (in my system) because I want him to score,” Slot explained. “If you want to win a game, you have to score, but it also helps if you keep a clean sheet. The first goal we scored was from Ibou Konate, but the clean sheet we kept is because Darwin was involved too.”

How things would have turned out had Antoine Semenyo not been caught offside in the fifth minute when converting a Justin Kluivert cross is hard to say, but Liverpool would have had to play as well as they have in every home game under Slot to put their visitors ahead.

A week after the humdrum defeat to Nottingham Forest, who had stifled the game and the atmosphere with a low block, this was an attractive match, played at a relentless pace, and Bournemouth showed once again that they will win a lot of games in the coming months. Slot had no qualms about admitting that these visitors were far more creative than they had been in the previous seven days.

‘The stats were pretty even, but they were better than it mattered,’ Andoni Iraola admitted. ‘When the game was on the line, they were much better than us. When they had the chances, they made the difference. Look at the stats. It wasn’t a 3-0 game, but they were more clinical than us.’

And how. The face of the game was transformed by a 12-minute blitzkrieg that saw Colombian firecracker Diaz come to life. His opening goal was largely down to Kepa Arrizabalaga making a ridiculous dash out of his penalty area, but that should not detract from Diaz’s control and agility.

He took Konate’s 60-yard ball on his thigh, moved clear of challenges and rolled the ball into the Anfield Road net with his right foot. A minute later the advantage was doubled, Diaz finishing with his left after excellent work from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Then came the headline act, Nunez who excited everyone with his ambition. From that moment on Liverpool never lost again and today they are top of the league. It is an encouraging start for Slot, one in which solid foundations are being laid.

“If you want to win more than a few games, it’s mentality,” Slot said. “After the Manchester United game, a statement win, losing to Nottingham Forest, that’s not what you want. After the AC Milan win on Tuesday, a statement win, I wanted to see how we responded. And I was happy.”

He has every right to be. The pitiful manner in which they had been thrashed seven days earlier had raised eyebrows in some quarters, waiting to see if Liverpool were one of those old, worn-out garments that were quickly coming undone.

But, Forest aside, there has been much to like about the early days of this reign. Bigger tests lie ahead, there’s no doubt about that, but when you have players like Nunez capable of producing magic, you can take them on with confidence. It will make for fascinating viewing.