Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool rotation is working and Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah dazzle Bournemouth

Liverpool went back into the top four with their comprehensive victory over Bournemouth on Sunday afternoon as three members of the ‘Fab Four’ tore their hosts apart.

Philippe Coutinho opened the scoring with a stunning solo goal before a bit of ingenuity from Roberto Firmino gave Dejan Lovren his goal and Mohamed Salah got his now customary strike. Firmino then added a fourth.

Here are five things we learned from the Vitality Stadium…

Rotation is key

Jurgen Klopp is so desperate not to have a season like last’s when Sadio Mane’s Africa Cup of Nations sojourn derailed Liverpool’s season so catastrophically that they went from title contenders to only just snatching a top-four spot. Injuries were rife and that was even without the added stress of Champions League football.

While Liverpool haven’t enjoyed the same first-half of the season this time around, Klopp is learning to manage his squad so they don’t have the same second-half. Mane was the one to miss out this time but Firmino, Coutinho and Jordan Henderson have all had their time on the bench in recent weeks. The question is when Salah will be afforded a rest – for Liverpool’s sake that decision will hopefully not be too late.

Transfer failings

For all of Liverpool’s positive, dazzling attacking play, you do wonder where this team will be if Klopp had landed all of his summer signings. Virgil van Dijk at centre-back instead of Lovren? Naby Keita running the midfield rather than Jordan Henderson? If only.

There were times where the likes of Jordon Ibe and Joshua King broke through the midfield and tested Liverpool’s shaky defence, while Jermain Defoe hit the post. While neither of the above-mentioned players were at all poor, there was always a feeling the Bournemouth could score. Once that threat is eliminated the Reds could turn out to be the greatest threat to Manchester City domination.

Sprinkles of Brazilian magic

Klopp’s recent habit of handing the captain’s armband around in the absence of Henderson seems to have worked well, with Simon Mignolet growing in confidence after his time as skipper. However, the largest effect it seems to have had has been on Coutinho, who once again put in a commanding performance, capped with a marvellous individual goal to open the scoring.

Coutinho has become the leader of Liverpool’s attacking, not only as the creator and chief orchestrator, but also in his encouragement of the players around him. Klopp wanted more leaders in his team and he looks as though he is getting it.

Bournemouth could be in trouble

Bournemouth are dropping into an increasingly more perilous position with every game. After Sunday’s defeat, they sit just the one point above the relegation zone and it doesn’t look like things could improve any time soon with a December schedule which sees them face three more of the ‘big six’, after already facing Manchester United and now Liverpool.

Manchester City provide next week’s opposition while a trip to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in the EFL Cup will be an unwelcome distraction and an unneeded one at this busy time of the season. With the likes of West Ham and Crystal Palace having a mini-revival, you wonder what it will take for Bournemouth to turn the slump around given they have now not won since 18 November.

Brilliant Salah

When Salah joined Liverpool there was a feeling that his searing pace would dazzle defences but that he would be wasteful in front of goal and not take his chances. When playing for Roma against Real Madrid last season he did just that, getting inside Sergio Ramos time, and time again but not making anything of it. How wrong was that feeling?

His solo goal to put Liverpool 3-0 ahead on the stroke of half-time was his 20^th of the season in all competitions and he is now, along with Kevin De Bruyne, one of the front-runners for the end of season individual awards. Liverpool have been missing a 20-goals-a-season man since Fernando Torres left and now they have one in Salah.