Liverpool entertained Burnley at Anfield earlier today hoping to close the gap to Manchester City to just one point at the top of the Premier League standings. The Reds began the match on the offensive but conceded an early goal in the 6th minute when Ashley Westwood scored with his header from close range. However, the Reds came back strong and managed to grab an equaliser through Roberto Firmino’s tap-in from close range.
Sadio Mane gave Liverpool the lead in the 29th minute when he found the back of the Burnley net with a clinical finish which gave the home side a narrow one-goal advantage at half-time.
It was Firmino who scored again in the second half after Mohamed Salah’s breakaway run which resulted in the ball falling in the Brazilian’s path and the Liverpool forward made no mistake when he slotted home from point-blank range. Burnley came up with a response in injury-time, but Mane scored again just before the full-time whistle to hand Liverpool a comfortable 4-2 victory on the day.
Let’s take a look at how each Liverpool player performed during the match against the Clarets.
GK: Alisson Becker – 7/10
The Brazilian was unfortunate with the first Burnley goal when he was clearly fouled inside his penalty area. However, he probably should have done better with the second Burnley goal in injury-time. Overall, he was tidy with his distribution and always looked assured in defence.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – 5/10
It was a poor game from the Reds right-back. The youngster lacked the cutting edge with his crosses from the right flank.
CB: Joel Matip – 6/10
The Cameroonian conceded a cheap corner in the first half which resulted in Burnley’s first goal. However, he put in a substantial shift in the second half to ensure all three points for the home team.
CB: Virgil Van Dijk – 7/10
The Dutch dirty defensive won a lot of aerial duels and led his team by example during his time on the pitch.
LB: Andrew Robertson – 7/10
It was another tireless shift from the Scottish full-back. He was always willing to run that extra mile and deliver some dangerous balls into the Clarets box.
CM: Fabinho – 7/10
The Brazilian talent did the defensive dirty work in midfield and was also entirely accurate with his passing.
CM: Georginio Wijnaldum – 6/10
The Dutch midfielder retained possession well but lacked sharpness going forward. He was also guilty of missing a glorious chance in the second half.
CM: Adam Lallana – 8/10
It was a welcome return to the first-team action for the English midfielder. He was exceptional with his pressing and was Liverpool’s best player in midfield. Lallana could be precisely what the doctor ordered at Anfield at this stage of this campaign.
RM: Mohamed Salah – 7/10
The Egyptian winger caused a lot of problems for the Burnley defenders and was unfortunate not to score on the day.
ST: Roberto Firmino – 7.5/10
The Brazilian forward scored two of the easiest goals of his Anfield career. He dropped into little pockets of spaces in midfield and managed to create some good chances for his teammates.
LM: Sadio Mane – 8/10
The Senegalese speedster found the back of the net twice with two clinical finishes to help Liverpool gain a deserved win on the day.
Substitutes:
CM: Jordan Henderson – 7/10
The Liverpool captain injected some fresh energy to the Reds midfield and put in a wonderful cameo during his time on the pitch.
CM: Naby Keita – 5/10
He failed to make an impact on the game.
ST: Daniel Sturridge – 7/10
The English forward did well to earn an assist despite coming on for the final few minutes of the game.
