The 2022–23 Premier League match between Liverpool and Bournemouth at Anfield, Liverpool, took place on Saturday 27 August 2022. Liverpool won 9–0, which is the joint-largest win in the history of the competition. Previously, the feat had been achieved on three occasions in the Premier League; twice by Manchester United in 1995 and 2021 against Ipswich Town and Southampton respectively, and once by Leicester City in 2019, also against Southampton.

This match equalled Liverpool's biggest win in the top flight. They achieved the same scoreline at Anfield during the 1989–90 season against Crystal Palace. This was also Bournemouth's worst ever top-flight defeat. Bournemouth manager Scott Parker was sacked three days after the match.

Background Liverpool were runners-up in the 2021–22 Premier League season, but going into Gameweek 4 of the 2022–23 campaign, they were enduring their worst league start under manager Jürgen Klopp. After draws with newly-promoted Fulham and Crystal Palace, they lost away to rivals Manchester United. Meanwhile, Bournemouth were promoted from the EFL Championship in the previous season, and were experiencing a similarly disappointing start, their only victory coming at home to Aston Villa on the opening day.

Pre-match

Team selection Liverpool made one change to the starting line-up that lost their previous match away at Manchester United; Brazilian holding midfielder Fabinho was preferred to veteran James Milner. Centre-back Virgil van Dijk made his 200th Premier League appearance, while midfielder Jordan Henderson made 400th in the competition for Liverpool.

Bournemouth made three changes to the team who lost 3–0 at home to then league leaders Arsenal with Lewis Cook, Ryan Christie and Jaidon Anthony all coming into the starting XI.

Tributes to Olivia Pratt-Korbel In the ninth minute of the match, a minute's applause was held in tribute to Olivia Pratt-Korbel, a nine-year-old girl from Liverpool who was murdered by a trespasser in her home. This was the first fixture played by Liverpool since the shooting. In a press conference two days before the match, Jürgen Klopp had described the killing as "such a tragedy", before saying, "If we can help, we will". On the day of the match, Klopp wrote in his programme notes: "Nine years old? How can this happen? How is it even possible? I cannot comprehend it and the more I think about it, the more difficult it becomes to understand. That it could happen in a city as special as this one where people look out for one another and stand together makes even less sense. I would like to pass on the sympathies of everyone at Liverpool to Olivia's family. They are in my thoughts and prayers."

After the match, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson removed his shirt with a vest underneath bearing the slogan: "RIP Olivia YNWA". Later that evening, he tweeted, "That was for Olivia".

Match

Summary Liverpool raced into a 2–0 lead within the first six minutes through a Luis Díaz header and long-range effort from Harvey Elliott, the latter getting his first Premier League goal. Further strikes from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino made it 4–0, before Virgil van Dijk headed in from a corner just before half-time.

Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham scored an own goal within a minute of the second half starting, before Firmino poked in the seventh, in the process reaching 100 goals for the club. Fábio Carvalho volleyed in his first goal for Liverpool before Díaz headed in the ninth with five minutes left.

Details

GK 1 AlissonRB 66 Trent Alexander-Arnold CB 2 Joe GomezCB 4 Virgil van DijkLB 26 Andy Robertson CM 19 Harvey Elliott CM 3 FabinhoCM 14 Jordan Henderson (c) RF 11 Mohamed SalahCF 9 Roberto Firmino LF 23 Luis DíazSubstitutes:GK 13 AdriánGK 95 Harvey DaviesDF 21 Kostas Tsimikas DF 43 Stefan Bajcetic DF 47 Nat PhillipsDF 72 Sepp van den BergMF 7 James Milner MF 28 Fábio Carvalho FW 42 Bobby Clark Manager: Jürgen Klopp GK 1 Mark TraversRB 15 Adam Smith (c) CB 6 Chris Mepham CB 25 Marcos Senesi LB 33 Jordan ZemuraCM 4 Lewis Cook CM 8 Jefferson LermaRW 32 Jaidon AnthonyAM 10 Ryan Christie LW 16 Marcus TavernierCF 21 Kieffer MooreSubstitutes:GK 13 NetoDF 17 Jack StaceyDF 23 James HillDF 35 Owen Bevan MF 11 Emiliano Marcondes MF 22 Ben Pearson MF 29 Philip Billing FW 9 Dominic Solanke FW 38 Christian SaydeeManager: Scott Parker

Assistant referees: Marc Perry (Berks & Bucks) James Mainwaring (Lancashire) Fourth official: Matt Donohue (Manchester) Video assistant referee: Craig Pawson (Sheffield & Hallamshire) Assistant video assistant referee: Timothy Wood (Gloucestershire)Match rules 90 minutes Nine named substitutes Maximum of five substitutions

Statistics + Overall Statistic Liverpool Bournemouth Goals scored 9 0 Total shots 19 5 Shots on target 12 2 Touches 849 455 Passes 681 303 Tackles 12 20 Clearances 3 17 Ball possession 69.4% 30.6% Corner kicks 8 1 Fouls conceded 6 5 Offsides 3 0 Yellow cards 0 1 Red cards 0 0

Aftermath After the match, Bournemouth manager Scott Parker said he was "not surprised" by the result, stating the team was "ill-equipped". He was subsequently sacked by the club on 30 August, with owner Maxim Demin citing the need for "unconditional... [alignment] in our strategy to run the club sustainably", which was interpreted as a reaction to Parker's comments. Parker was replaced as manager by Gary O'Neil on the same day; first on an interim basis, then permanently on 27 November.

The two teams played again in the reverse fixture on 11 March 2023 at the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth defeated Liverpool 1–0 through a first-half goal by Philip Billing and a missed second-half penalty from Liverpool's Mohamed Salah. The score was seen as a shock, given the earlier result and the teams' respective forms – Liverpool were unbeaten in five after a historic 7–0 win over in-form rivals Manchester United, while Bournemouth began the day at the bottom of the Premier League table.

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