Premier League GW24 - Liverpool vs Burnley

Liverpool vs Burnley | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Anfield saw a thrilling match as Liverpool took on a resolute Burnley team in an attempt to take back the Premier League title. Liverpool's attacking flair, led by goals from Jota, Diaz, and Nunez, secured a vital 3-1 victory despite a strong first half from the Clarets. Let's relive the exciting events that took place during this important meeting.

Liverpool:

In their most recent game, Liverpool suffered a devastating 3-1 loss to rival championship contenders Arsenal, ending their 15-game winning streak in the Premier League. After a lacklustre performance, the Reds were tied at the half, but Gabriel Martinelli had an open goal thanks to a defensive blunder by Virgil van Dijk and the always dependable Alisson Becker. Following the dismissal of Ibrahima Konate, Leandro Trossard gave the Gunners a third goal in a completely forgettable performance from Jurgen Klopp's team. Manchester City, who defeated Everton earlier today to take the lead in the league, regained control of the championship race as a result of Liverpool's setback. After beating Burnley, Liverpool will go back to the top of the table, but they will have played one more game than the Citizens, increasing the pressure for their matchup on March 10 between the two biggest teams in English football.

Burnley:

Burnley is in 19th place, seven points from safety, and in danger of making an instant return to the Championship after winning just three of their 23 Premier League games this season. On the other hand, the Clarets might take heart from their thrilling 2-2 draw at Turf Moor against Fulham, where David Datro Fofana, a Chelsea loanee, scored a brace on his home debut after coming off the bench. Vincent Kompany will be aiming for an unexpected victory away from home at Anfield, which would end Liverpool's 23-game league home winning streak and possibly spark an extraordinary Burnley comeback. With the Belgian spending 11 years of his playing career with Manchester City, winning four Premier Leagues, and having a statue outside the Etihad Stadium, a victory for him would also aid Manchester City in their title challenge.

Line ups:

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Caoimhin Kelleher; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarell Quansah, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Alexis Mac Allister, Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones; Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz.

LIVERPOOL SUBS: Adrian, Cody Gakpo, Harvey Elliott, Kostas Tsimikas, Ryan Gravenberch, Bobby Clark, James McConnell, Lewis Koumas, Fabian Mrozek.

BURNLEY (4-4-2): James Trafford; Lorenz Assignon, Dara O’Shea, Maxime Esteve, Hannes Delcroix; Josh Brownhill, Sander Berge, Aaron Ramsey, Wilson Odobert; David Datro Fofana, Zeki Amdouni.

BURNLEY SUBS: Jack Cork, Jay Rodriguez, Benson Manuel, Hjalmar Ekdal, Vitinho, Josh Cullen, Jacob Bruun Larsen, Han-Noah Massengo, Arijanet Muric.

Anfield Stadium | Picture Credits: SportsPro Media

First Half: Jota's Header Breaks the Deadlock

The goalless draw was broken in the thirty-first minute when Liverpool won a corner. Jota was found by Alexander-Arnold's deft pass, and she soared above Burnley's defence to head home. Trafford's attempt to handle the cross was ineffective, allowing Liverpool to take an important lead.

With a strong response, Burnley earned a corner shortly before halftime. O'Shea showed leadership by heading a powerful ball into the top-right corner after Brownhill's delivery found him. With the equaliser, Burnley's hopes were revived.

Second Half: Diaz and Elliott Shine

Liverpool looked revitalised in the second half. With help from replacement Elliott, Diaz scored a VAR-checked goal in the 52nd minute to give Liverpool the lead once more. Burnley made a great attempt, but they were unable to stop Liverpool's attacking flair.

Burnley had opportunities to draw even, most notably when Fofana twice went one-on-one with Kelleher. But he failed to apply the clinical touch, hitting straight at the custodian before looping wide. Burnley's lost chances ended up costing them.

In the 79th minute, Elliott—a second-half replacement—scored another goal to give Liverpool the victory. His accurate cross was met by Nunez, who finished with a spectacular downward header into the bottom-left corner to secure a commanding 3-1 lead.

Liverpool's Resurgence:

Liverpool defeated Burnley 3-1 to take back the top spot in the Premier League thanks to their tenacity and attacking ability. This triumph was made possible by the significant efforts of Alexander-Arnold and Elliott, as well as Jota, Diaz, and Nunez. Now, Klopp's team will play Brentford in a difficult match, and Burnley, albeit fighting, will face Arsenal in a difficult match. The thrilling story of the Premier League title race is still ongoing, and supporters are excitedly awaiting the next installment.

Jota scored a goal and gave Liverpool a 1-0 lead | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

O'Shea's goal for Burnley levelled the score to 1-1 | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Diaz scored a goal and gave Liverpool a 2-1 lead again | Picture Credits: Premier League Website

Nunez scored a goal and increased Liverpool's lead to 3-1 | Picture Credits: Premier League Website