As Liverpool got back on track against Burnley in front of a league attendance record for the club at Anfield, they went back to the top of the table.
Following their loss to Arsenal the previous weekend, Jurgen Klopp’s team was hoping to bounce back, and they did it with a header from a corner that Diogo Jota scored and Burnley goalie James Trafford was unable to stop.
The Clarets, who have spent the majority of the season in the relegation zone, took the lead back in the 52nd minute thanks to a fantastic header by Dara O’Shea just before halftime.
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Before Harvey Elliott’s cross was headed in by Darwin Nunez to seal the victory, Burnley had multiple opportunities to tie the score.
Referee Tim Robinson booked both Burnley manager Vincent Kompany and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp for arguing after calls went against their teams on a tense day.
Alisson, Liverpool’s first-choice keeper, was sidelined due to illness, but Caoimhin Kelleher, filling in, produced a brilliant save to hold the score at 2-1 against David Datro Fofana.
In front of 59,896 spectators, Liverpool had lost to Manchester City 2-0 in the early kickoff, temporarily dislodging them from the top spot in the rankings.
But even though they had played one more game than their closest competitors, the Reds recovered their two-point lead, and Burnley is still in 19th place.
Liverpool, who were once again far from their best after the loss to Arsenal, did not have an easy victory.
After Burnley, who have only won three league games this season, wasted several good scoring opportunities, there was relief at the final whistle when Kelleher came to the rescue to deny Fofana after halftime.
The Reds were kept on edge throughout, and it wasn’t until Nunez’s header in the 79th minute that they could finally settle in.
This season, Liverpool has been adept at producing results without playing very well, and their most recent performance most definitely fit that description. They were also without Joe Gomez due to sickness.
Nevertheless, at this point in the season, it’s all about the results, and the Reds will still need to wait for Mohamad Salah to recover from his hamstring injury, even though they have managed without their top scorer.
Salah’s departure from the team was eight games ago. In that span, they had won six of them in all competitions and scored 21 goals.
