Advertisement
Anthony Devlin

As it happened: Liverpool v Burnley, Premier League

Liverpool took on Burnley, as the Reds attempted to bounce back from their loss at Man City last week.

Hello, and welcome to today’s liveblog.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts on the game. E-mail paul@the42.ie, tweet @the42_ie, post a message to our Facebook wall, or leave a comment below.

You may need to refresh the page for YouTube videos and other elements to display correctly.

Kick of is at 3pm.

We’re under way…

A cross falls into the path of Sturridge.

The striker doesn’t connect with the ball properly, however, and it’s an easy save for Pope, who is making his full Premier League debut due to Tom Heaton being out with a long-term injury.

Liverpool have been on top in these early stages.

Coutinho looks sharp, while the attackers have been showing some intelligent movement.

Liverpool have had 75% possession so far.

Burnley look relatively solid and comfortable in defence at the moment though.

Burnley have been playing with a back six at times.

Robbie Brady has been more of a left-back than a left winger for much of this game.

Salah goes down in the area amid vociferous claims for a penalty.

The referee waves play on, however.

Judging by the replay, it’s probably the correct call, as the Egypt international went down very easily.

Salah finds space down the right, but Lowton does well to clear.

Moments later, Salah picks out the lively Egyptian, but the latter’s header goes over.

It’s been one-way traffic so far.

According to the BBC, Liverpool have had 82% possession and seven shots compared to zero for Burnley with just under 24 minutes played.

LIVERPOOL 0-1 BURNLEY (ARFIELD 26)

Wow, having been under the cosh for much of the game so far, Burnley have opened the scoring.

Robbie Brady wins a header on the edge of the area, Chris Wood flicks the ball on and Scott Arfield places it into the corner of the net with a composed finish.

Is it set to be ‘one of those days’ for Liverpool?

LIVERPOOL 1-1 BURNLEY (SALAH 30)

Liverpool respond instantaneously.

Can finds Mo Salah, who escapes from Stephen Ward and powerfully fires home from the edge of the area.

There was just over three minutes between the two goals.

Tarkowski totally misjudges a Milner cross, but Sturridge can’t capitalise.

There’s a fantastic tempo to this game — it’s been highly entertaining to watch, as is invariably the case with Klopp’s Liverpool.

Sean Dyche looks agitated on the touchline.

He is telling his side to calm down, with the visitors giving away possession far too easily at the moment.

Coutinho plays through Sturridge, but the England international can only find the side-netting with his finish.

Liverpool remain the dominant side.

As I type, the hosts break, and Salah curls a shot straight at Pope.

Liverpool need to be a bit more incisive in the final third.

From a Burnley perspective, they need to get the balance between attack and defence right. The more open this game becomes, the better a chance Liverpool will have of winning, but the Clarets haven’t been totally devoid of ambition and have occasionally threatened in this first half.

Liverpool v Burnley - Premier League - Anfield Burnley's Scott Arfield celebrates scoring his side's first goal of the game in front of the fans. Anthony Devlin Anthony Devlin

HALF-TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-1 BURNLEY

So half-time, and Liverpool will likely feel a little frustrated.

The Reds have dominated possession and territory, but need to be more clinical in front of goal.

It’s a somewhat familiar story for Jurgen Klopp’s men, who frequently struggled against the supposedly weaker sides such as Burnley last season.

The visitors, meanwhile, have made the most of their limited ability — defending admirably for the most part and counter-attacking with menace on occasion.

The second half has begun…

Liverpool v Burnley - Premier League - Anfield Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge battles for the ball with Burnley's Stephen Ward (left) and James Tarkowski (right). Anthony Devlin Anthony Devlin

Coutinho evades the challenge of Defour, but then balloons the ball well over.

The Brazilian has shown some nice touches, but perhaps isn’t back to his best just yet.

Coutinho fires over from the edge of the area.

Burnley surely can’t keep this up for the full 90 minutes, and will be punished sooner or later for their negativity if they don’t improve.

Can’s shot from the edge of the area is parried away by Pope.

Liverpool are getting closer.

Liverpool have had 20 attempts compared to two for Burnley.

However, the Clarets continue to defend superbly, restricting Liverpool largely to shots from outside the box.

Sturridge finds space on the edge of the area, before unleashing a powerful shot that forces Pope into a decent save.

Liverpool are just starting to move up a gear and increase the intensity of their attack.

Meanwhile, Burnley make a substitution, with Barnes replacing Guðmunds­son.

Interesting change from Burnley, who have switched to a conceivably more attacking 4-4-2 formation.

Brady is on the right with Arfield on the left, while Barnes has joined Wood up front.

Tarkowski does very well to block a Milner shot.

Burnley have defended very well today, with the ex-Brentford player particularly impressive.

It’s been a quiet last few minutes.

Liverpool have just over 20 minutes to find a winner.

Alexander-Arnold overhits a cross amid audible groans.

There is an increasing sense of frustration around Anfield.

Liverpool continue to press but are showing little invention in their attacks now.

As I type, Ward makes a good tackle to prevent Firmino breaking away from him out wide.

Burnley have a rare chance to attack, with Barnes giving them greater threat in the final third.

Brady’s shot is ultimately too close to Mignolet though.

Liverpool react by making a change — Solanke and Oxlade-Chamberlain replace Coutinho and Firmino.

Half chance for Burnley. Matip does well to head Mee’s header off the line after a well-executed Brady corner.

Moments later, another Brady delivery results in another Mee header, forcing a save from Mignolet.

Close! Milner’s pinpoint cross finds Alexander-Arnold.

The youngster’s volley is well saved by Pope, who has enjoyed an impressive full Premier League debut.

Solanke hits the crossbar from close range after an Alexander-Arnold cross, moments after a penalty claim following a Mee challenge on Salah.

Meanwhile, Vokes and Westwood replace Defour and Wood for Burnley.

Less than two minutes of normal time remain.

You get the feeling this isn’t going to be Liverpool’s day.

There will be four minutes of stoppage time…

Alexander-Arnold overhits a cross from a promising position.

It looks like that will be that.

FULL-TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-1 BURNLEY

Right, that’s all from me for now.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

We’ll have more reaction to follow.

Subscribe to The42 podcasts here:

Klopp watched Van Dijk alternatives ’500 million times’ but none could improve Liverpool>

Mourinho explains why allowing ‘legend’ Rooney to leave was an easy decision>

Author
Paul Fennessy
View 26 comments
Close
26 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel