After Liverpool defeated promoted Bournemouth 9-0 in the Premier League to earn their first victory of the year, Jurgen Klopp referred to it as the “ideal football afternoon.”

The Reds, who were just denied the title last season, suffered in the early going this year as draws against Fulham and Crystal Palace were exacerbated by Monday’s humiliating loss at rivals Manchester United, according to DPA.

Nobody inside a rocking Anfield could have guessed they would witness Liverpool match their largest top-flight win ever, but Klopp’s appeals for a response were heeded in style on Saturday.

In a furious first half against shell-shocked Bournemouth, Luis Diaz, Harvey Elliott, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Roberto Firmino, and Virgil van Dijk all scored goals.

Following Chris Mepham’s own goal, Firmino, Fabio Carvalho, and Diaz scored as Liverpool narrowly missed going up by double digits.

When asked to sum up the victory in one word, Liverpool manager Klopp responded, “Needed. After a brief preseason with mixed results, a season-opening thrill (winning the Community Shield against Manchester City), playing excellent football, and then being dropped for an unknown cause.

“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.

“That’s what we had to do today, but you cannot make a list and take them all off the list step by step. You just have to give the game a proper direction and that’s why I loved the start today so much.

“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.

“Then it’s 5-0 for half-time and I couldn’t respect more what Scott (Parker) is doing at Bournemouth in not the easiest circumstances, how I can see (it) from outside.

“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 and let him score one and have this kind of bitter taste after a wonderful afternoon.

“You get out of the blocks again with 6-0 and then everybody’s scored, we could bring on the kids, which deserve it so much, so we could rotate if we want at the start of the most busy period I’ve ever experienced.

“I can say it already before we’ve played it will be crazy and in the end it was the perfect football afternoon for us.

“A lot of different goal scorers, all these kinds of things. Wonderful goals, fantastic situations and we all know that we needed something like that.”

The outcome underscored the need for fresh players ahead of Thursday’s deadline, and Bournemouth boss Parker was left shaken by it despite having previously warned of a potential Liverpool backlash.

“This is the toughest day as a player and certainly as a coach,” Parker said. “This is the toughest and most painful day that I have experienced, for sure.

“It goes without saying it’s a real humbling experience and one which was pretty shell-shocking, really, in the sense of the result.”

(Inputs from IANS)