Klopp after Liverpool's 9-0 heroics: 'It was the perfect football afternoon'

Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool's "perfect afternoon" as they equalled the record for the biggest Premier League win by thrashing Bournemouth 9-0 at Anfield on Saturday.

Roberto Firmino and Luis Diaz both scored twice with strikes from Harvey Elliott, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Fabio Carvalho and a Chris Mepham own goal completing the scoring.

It is the fourth time in Premier League history a team has won by nine goals. Manchester United beat Ipswich 9-0 in 1995 and Southampton by the same score last year. Leicester also won 9-0 at Southampton in 2019.

The result was all the more remarkable given Liverpool, who just months ago came within two games of an unprecedented quadruple, had made their worst league start in a decade.

Klopp's side silenced the critics as they registered their first victory of the season at the fourth attempt.

"Each manager in the world is a fantastic entertainer when you win football games. When you have to answer questions after you lose a game and try to find explanations, it sounds like excuses or whatever," Klopp said.

"We were not happy with the way we played. We had good moments in nearly all the games where we showed things which we are strong at, and other things where we have to improve.

"You get this early goal and you get the second. And we kept going, scored different goals but always with the same purpose: keep going, put them under pressure, don't stop.

"At half-time it was important that we, again, keep going because it's early in the season.

"It's not for us now to control it a little bit. In the end it was the perfect football afternoon for us."

Fabinho returned to stiffen up Liverpool's midfield in the wake of Monday's 2-1 defeat away to Manchester United that left them five