Mohamed Salah double fires Liverpool nine points clear

NEW DELHI: Liverpool on Saturday secured a 2-0 victory at Bournemouth with Mohamed Salah's disputed penalty, extending their lead to nine points in the Premier League.
The opening goal came through Salah's penalty after Cody Gakpo appeared to fall over his own feet rather than from Lewis Cook's challenge.
The decision sparked outrage from Bournemouth after referee Darren England's initial call was supported by VAR.
"The referee's call of penalty was checked and confirmed by VAR – with the challenge deemed to have been a trip by Cook on Gakpo. The VAR also confirmed Gakpo was onside in the build-up," the Premier League said in a statement.
Salah later scored his second goal in the match, further extending Liverpool's advantage over Arsenal in second place.
The Egyptian forward has now scored 21 goals in 23 league appearances this season, achieving the 20-goal milestone for the fifth time in his Premier League career.
With 178 Premier League goals, Salah has moved ahead of Frank Lampard into sixth place on the all-time scoring list.
Liverpool have not lost in 19 league matches, winning 17 of their 23 games since Arne Slot took over from Jurgen Klopp before the season began.
Liverpool, pursuing their 20th title and first since 2020, await the outcome of Manchester City's match against Arsenal on Sunday.
They face Tottenham in the League Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday, trying to overcome a 1-0 deficit.
The only concern for Slot was an injury to England right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold in the second half.
Bournemouth's impressive season included home victories over Manchester City and Arsenal, plus a 5-0 win against Nottingham Forest last week.
Their 11-game unbeaten league run ended against a determined Liverpool side.
The match began dramatically when Alexander-Arnold lost possession to Antoine Semenyo after 12 seconds, requiring a save from Alisson Becker.
Alexander-Arnold's defensive struggles continued as his poor clearance allowed Justin Kluivert through on goal before Alisson made another save.
Semenyo managed to evade two defenders and hit the woodwork with a powerful shot.
Liverpool showed their attacking prowess with Kepa Arrizabalaga saving Dominik Szoboszlai's attempt.
The controversial opening goal came in the 30th minute when Cook appeared to make no contact with Gakpo before the penalty was given.
Salah converted the penalty with confidence despite the controversy.
Bournemouth's immediate response through David Brooks was ruled offside by VAR.
Alisson continued his impressive performance by denying Semenyo in a one-on-one situation.
The match saw more VAR involvement with checks for Alexander-Arnold's handball and Alexis Mac Allister's potential second yellow card for fouling Brooks.
Marcus Tavernier hit the post with a long-range effort before Kluivert missed the rebound opportunity.
Salah sealed the victory in the 75th minute, receiving Curtis Jones' pass and finishing skillfully past Kepa.