Liverpool 3-1 Burnley: Goals from Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez have sent Jurgen Klopp's side back to the top of the Premier League ahead of Manchester City.
Liverpool returned to the Premier League summit with a hard-fought 3-1 win over Burnley on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds enter the match looking to bounce back from last weekend's defeat to title rivals Arsenal but have had a slow start at Anfield.
It was Diogo Jota who provided the spark Liverpool desperately needed on the half-hour mark, nodding into the empty net after James Trafford was left flapping in the air from a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner. However, this advantage was short-lived, with Dara O'Shea restoring parity on the stroke of half-time.
Luis Diaz restored Liverpool's lead with a close-range header seven minutes after the restart, before Darwin Nunez scored a late goal to send Jurgen Klopp's men back on top.
Nunez gets his reward
Somehow, Nunez failed to find the back of the net in Liverpool's recent 4-1 win over Chelsea.
Not only did he miss a penalty against the Blues, but he was denied by the woodwork on at least four separate occasions. But the master of chaos finally got his reward in front of goal after another all-action display on Saturday.
Nunez – like Jota, Liverpool's first goalscorer – was a constant thorn in Burnley's side all afternoon, but he was left looking blank for the third consecutive match before striking late on – and he was good value for it too.
Is there a more entertaining player to watch in the Premier League at the moment than Nunez? He doesn't always get it right, but he's always dangerous and in the mix – and that's why Liverpool fans love him.
Jota moves forward again
Join the debate! What did you draw from Liverpool's performance against Burnley? Let's find out here.
There is no disputing that Mohamed Salah is Liverpool's key man, but Jota has done a good job on deputation for Egypt in recent weeks.
The Portuguese poacher had scored four goals and provided two assists in five games before the trip to Burnley, and he was in the right place at the right time to break the deadlock on Saturday afternoon.
Jota had plenty of chances to score his 100th goal in English football before referee Tim Robinson called time on the match.
After breaking up the untouchable trio of Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, Jota had fallen off the radar somewhat due to injury issues. He is now fully fit and active again – and he could hardly have waited more time to get back into better form.
Kelleher proves Klopp's point
Caoimhin Kelleher was boldly dubbed the “best No. 2 in the world” by his manager after a stellar performance in Liverpool's Carabao Cup win over Chelsea in 2022. And just weeks away from a repeat of the same match, the Irishman proved Klopp's point.
Including Alisson, who like Joe Gomez missed out through illness, Kelleher had to be alert from the first minute as Burnley started well. The Clarets' starting marksman did not test the 25-year-old much, but he was quick to run in to stop Zeki Amdouni in the ninth minute and David Datro stood tall to thwart Fofana after the break.
Kelleher has already started 13 matches this season: a career high. And although he may not have ended the afternoon with a clean sheet, he underlined why Klopp trusts him so much.
The company's bad phase continues
Vincent Kompany never won at Anfield as a Manchester City player – and he hasn't fared much better as a manager either.
His team made a promising start and scored an own goal to equalize just before the break, but they had no answer to Liverpool's second-half attack.
With Sheffield United beating Luton, Burnley now sit joint bottom of the Premier League having won only three matches all season. They looked good at Anfield, but style won't save them from the decline. Points will be there – but they have been hard to come by all season.
Klopp's fitting final is underway
Yes, there are no such things as fairy tales, but when it comes to Klopp's final season as Liverpool manager, it feels like the last fitting finale is very close.
For the man who ended the Reds' agonizing 30-year title drought, going off into the sunset with another Premier League crown would be the perfect farewell – even if many people didn't expect Liverpool to win the league or Klopp to win it. Would not have asked for. Goes back to summer.
Liverpool 2.0 has surprised teams this season, but they needed patience and flexibility to get a result against Burnley. And results like this could make all the difference come May as Klopp bids for a final – and memorable – hurray.
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