Liverpool was not especially convincing, but ground out a win against Burnley as tensions flared, with Harvey Elliott key off the bench. This is what we spotted.
A record Anfield crowd was not treated to a vintage Liverpool performance, but a squad hit by both injury and a bout of flu was able to grind out a result. The withdrawal of Trent Alexander-Arnold at half-time could yet develop into a concern, but it made the difference in the short term.
Curtis Jones slotted in at right-back, with Harvey Elliott coming on. Not for the first time, he was vital off the bench, providing two assists as Liverpool secured a 3-1 victory after seeing its opener canceled out.
The result moved Jürgen Klopp’s side back to the top of the Premier League, after Manchester City won against Everton earlier on. He will be pleased to have kept the pressure firmly on his rivals, with Arsenal in action tomorrow.
But it was not always a sanguine touchline, with Klopp and Vincent Kompany both getting heated at times. Here are the four things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.
Kelleher shows his value
Liverpool will not have been pleased to lose Alisson to illness, but on paper, this was a reasonable fixture for it. Klopp would have had no qualms trusting Caoimhín Kelleher against Burnley.
But it was far from an ideal start for Liverpool, and Kelleher was called into action. Any rust would have seen the host fall behind.
Fortunately, the Irishman — who has already played more games than in any previous season — was on his toes from the first whistle. In particular, he was out very sharply to smother Zeki Amdouni.
And what looked on first viewing like little more than sharp reactions to close down the angle was actually even better. Amdouni still managed to guide a shot past the body of Kelleher, but the goalkeeper stuck out a really strong hand to prevent the ball squeezing in at the near post.
That kept things level, and in the second half Kelleher was on hand to preserve a lead. A mix-up had let Burnley in, but he stood tall, making another important stop.
It hasn’t been the best campaign for the man once dubbed by Klopp as the best number two in the world, with more exposure to the first team actually bringing more questions. But this was a reminder of exactly what the Liverpool manager meant when he said that, as Kelleher provided a timely boost ahead of the Carabao Cup final.
Double weapon returns
There was a moment in the first half where Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson were standing over a free kick. As James Trafford tried to see through the glare of the sun, Burnley was left guessing over who would whip the delivery into the box.
In the end it was Alexander-Arnold, and nothing came of it. But there was a palpable sense around Anfield of the danger posed as the duo conversed.
That feeling proved prescient, as Alexander-Arnold provided the opener from a corner a few minutes later. Whipped in deliciously, it tempted Trafford, leaving Diogo Jota with a reasonably simple task — and putting the number 66 back above Robertson as the all-time outright Premier League record holder for assists by a defender.
It was the first game the full-back pair had started together in months, with neither available for the bulk of 2024. In fixtures where a breakthrough is proving difficult, they pose a really potent double weapon from dead ball situations, one which the Reds have missed — although Alexander-Arnold in particular was not massively on the pace from open play, and was sacrificed at half-time as an injury precaution as Klopp turned to Elliott.
VIncent Kompany fumes as both managers in the book
Klopp’s frustration was building on the touchline throughout the first half, and he eventually found himself yellow-carded, seemingly for his remonstrations with the fourth official. But it was not too long before he was joined in the book by his opposite number.
Liverpool had to wait for a lengthy VAR check before having it confirmed that it had retaken the lead early in the second half. The offside check was uncontroversial, if tight, but Kompany was presumably unimpressed with the decision not to penalize Alexis Mac Allister for a kick on Aaron Ramsey in the build-up.
Kompany crossed the line as he made his point, and saw the yellow card brandished. His third booking of the season, it will see him absent from the touchline against Arsenal.
You could see why he was annoyed, although it would have been a soft intervention on VAR. In the end, perhaps the non-reaction from Ramsey (it was actually Mac Allister who went down) probably did for Burnley’s chances of a reprieve.
Harvey Elliott makes the difference
Klopp might not be able to claim the Elliott switch as a tactical masterclass, with Alexander-Arnold seemingly forced off. Conor Bradley is still away on compassionate leave, while Gomez was struck down by flu, so options were limited — hence the lesser-spotted Jones at right back experiment, with the sub joining the midfield.
But not for the first time this season, the bench proved decisive, as Elliott once again showed his best form as a late arrival to a match. He ultimately made the difference, providing two assists as Liverpool eased away despite never really getting out of third gear.
The next step is finding consistency and the ability to deliver that quality from the start of games. But Klopp knows just how lucky he is to have someone like Elliott in reserve.
