Liverpool may have an abundance of quality already in Arne Slot‘s attack, but Saturday’s clash with Bournemouth explained their interest in another forward.
The Reds made another big step towards the title as Mohamed Salah‘s brace earned a 2-0 victory away to one of the Premier League‘s strongest sides.
Three points at Dean Court ensure Liverpool will stay at least six points clear at the top of the table regardless of Arsenal‘s result against Man City on Sunday evening.
And they will do so with a game in hand, with the diverse strength of Slot’s attacking ranks – by far the most goals scored in the English top flight (56) – proving key.
With Diogo Jota back fit, it was notable that Federico Chiesa did not even make the squad at Dean Court, with Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz starting alongside Salah and Darwin Nunez coming off the bench.
Despite that, statistics via FotMob show why Liverpool are reportedly interested in Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo ahead of the summer.
Semenyo keeps up his emphatic form
Semenyo has alternated between the right and left flanks for Andoni Iraola this season, but after scoring or assisting in each of his last three games from the left that is where he was stationed against Liverpool.
That saw the Ghanaian start up against Trent Alexander-Arnold and, supported by another player of interest at Anfield in Milos Kerkez, he terrorised the right-back.
• READ: What Arne Slot said when asked directly on Milos Kerkez transfer
Impressively, no player made more touches than Semenyo (72), which is a feat almost exclusively enjoyed by one of Slot’s defenders in Liverpool games.
In nine of the previous 10 games before the trip to Dean Court, one of Alexander-Arnold (four times), Virgil van Dijk (three times) or Jarell Quansah (two times) was the most involved player for either side in terms of touches.
The exception to that was the 3-2 loss at PSV Eindhoven earlier in the week, which could partly be explained by Slot making nine changes.
Though rare, this can happen and would typically highlight the strength of Liverpool’s opponent – and in this case, given it was an attacker in Semenyo, it shows how much of a threat Bournemouth‘s No. 24 can be.
Semenyo also had the most touches in the box (15) and the most shots on goal (six) of any player on Saturday, with one of his efforts hammering the post at 0-0.
The move that led to Semenyo striking the woodwork saw the left winger turn Alexander-Arnold inside-out, and on an afternoon that saw the right-back forced off through injury it was clear that he was already struggling.
Alexander-Arnold won all three of his tackles but succeeded in only three of his nine duels (33.3%) across 70 minutes on the pitch, being dribbled past more than any other player (four).
Up against him and later Conor Bradley, Semenyo contested by far the most duels on the day (20), and though that meant he consequently lose the highest amount (12) he also won the second-most of any player (eight).
Semenyo was a direct, powerful threat on the left and given doubts over the long-term future of Nunez and, with their contracts up in 2027, arguably both Diaz and Jota, interest in the Bournemouth forward would come as no surprise.
* FotMob is an essential app for every fan to keep up to date with their team or follow football worldwide, their incredible new features provide all you could ever want and information you never knew you needed!
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