Liverpool were excellent at times in their 3-1 victory over Bournemouth but a game that should have been wrapped up shortly after the break remained in the balance for much of the second half. The swagger with which they took a 3-0 lead was a welcome boost to their frustrated supporters. The way in which they defended it was reason to be cautious about this weekend's league clash with Arsenal.
Rodgers can be accused of many things, but you certainly can't call him conservative. Knowing full well that defeat might intensify the pressure on him to unbearable levels, he deployed a daring 3-4-2-1 formation with Jordan Henderson and Lazar Markovic as flying wing-backs, allowing Adam Lallana and Philippe Coutinho to support a "false nine" in Sterling.
With just two wins in their previous 10 games and having scored more than once on only a single occasion, confidence was low in the ranks. This was a gamble that could easily have backfired. Instead, it gave Liverpool the foundations for a crucial victory. And how fortunate it was that the foundations ran deep.
With Markovic and Henderson working hard, Liverpool had width and pace. After those early scares they spent 15 minutes reacquainting themselves with the ball and then they struck against a defence that had been stretched beyond recognition.
