Nunez finally gets his reward as Liverpool beat Burnley - 5 talking points

10 February 2024 , 16:59

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Darwin Nunez was on target as Liverpool beat Burnley 3-1 (Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC)

Liverpool returned to the Premier League summit courtesy of a battling 3-1 victory over Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

The Reds headed into the match looking to bounce back from last weekend's defeat at title rivals Arsenal but made a sluggish start at Anfield.

It was Diogo Jota who provided the spark Liverpool sorely needed on the half hour mark, nodding into an empty net after James Trafford was left flapping at thin air from a Trent Alexander-Arnold corner. That advantage was short-lived, though, 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 late on to send Jurgen Klopp's men back to the top.

Nunez gets his rewards

Somehow, someway, Nunez failed to find the back of the net in Liverpool's recent 4-1 win over Chelsea.

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Not only did he miss a penalty against the Blues, he was denied by the woodwork on no less than four separate occasions. But the master of chaos finally got his rewards in front of goal on Saturday after another all-action display.

Nunez - like Liverpool's first goalscorer, Jota - was a constant thorn in Burnley's side all afternoon but looked set to blank for the third match in a row before he struck late on - and he was good value for it, too.

Is there a more entertaining player to watch in the Premier League right now 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 steps up - again

Join the debate! What did you make of Liverpool's performance against Burnley? Let us know here.

Diogo Jota broke the deadlock for Liverpool and was a constant thorn in Burnley's side (Alex Dodd/CameraSport)

There's no disputing that Mohamed Salah is Liverpool's leading man, but Jota has done a fine job deputising for the Egyptian in recent weeks.

The Portuguese poacher had plundered four goals and contributed two assists in five matches prior to the visit of 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 notch what would have been his 100th goal in English football before referee Tim Robinson called time on the match too.

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's fully fit and firing again now - and he could hardly have timed his return to form better.

Kelleher proves Klopp's point

Caoimhin Kelleher denies Zeki Amdouni (Justin Setterfield)

Caoimhin Kelleher was boldly dubbed as the “best No.2 in the world” by his manager after starring in Liverpool's Carabao Cup triumph over Chelsea back in 2022. And just a couple of weeks out from a repeat of that exact same match, the Irishman proved Klopp's point.

Drafted in for Alisson, who like Joe Gomez missed out through illness, Kelleher had to be on alert from the very first minute as Burnley started well. The Clarets' early sighter didn't overly test the 25-year-old but he was sharp in rushing out to deny Zeki Amdouni in the ninth minute and stood up tall to thwart David Datro Fofana after the break.

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Kelleher has now started 13 matches already this term: a career high. And while he may not have ended the afternoon with a clean sheet, he underlined why Klopp trusts him so much.

Kompany's rotten run continues

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany never won at Anfield during his Manchester City days (Ian Hodgson/AFP)

Vincent Kompany never won at Anfield as a Manchester City player - and he's not faring much better as a manager, either.

His side made a promising start and were good value for their goal just before the break to restore parity, but they had no response to Liverpool's second-half onslaught.

With Sheffield United beating Luton, Burnley are now joint-bottom of the Premier League having won just three matches all season. They looked decent at Anfield, but style won't save them from the drop. Points will - but those have been hard to come by all season.

Klopp's fitting finale is on

Jurgen Klopp's side are in the Premier League title race (John Powell/Liverpool FC)

Yes, there's no such thing as fairytales, but when it comes to Klopp's final season as Liverpool manager, the ultimate fitting finale feels like it's very much on.

For the man who ended the Reds' agonising 30-year title drought to walk off into the sunset with another Premier League crown would be the perfect send-off - even if not many would have tipped Liverpool to win the league or Klopp to call it quits back in the summer.

Liverpool 2.0 have blown teams away this season, but they needed grit and resilience to grind out a result against Burnley. And results like this could make all the difference come May as Klopp bids for one final - and memorable - hurrah.

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Dan Marsh