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There were several damning things about this tremendously bad result for Liverpool. The end of his proud 68-game undefeated home run. The end of that race against Burnley. And most of all, that you could really see it coming.
Regardless, Jurgen Klopp insisted that the way the match unfolded it was “impossible” for Liverpool to lose, it really wasn’t a surprise to see Liverpool fail to bring down a completely well-organized defense against a fit goalkeeper. And Burnley had his moments even before the penalty in a slightly more open second half. Shooting stats will tell you it was a hit and grab, but it didn’t feel that way. Apart from Klopp.
It’s been more than 400 minutes since Liverpool last scored a goal in the Premier League, and despite all the attempts that rained down on Nick Pope’s goal tonight – 26 in all – few of those were clear opportunities. Like against Manchester United. And Southampton. And Newcastle.
The clearest opportunity, beaten uselessly and crucially against the crossbar near the end of the first half by Divock Origi, came from the only mistake Ben Mee made all night. The rest were mostly from afar directly towards Pope, who also spent a lot of time pulling crosses in the air with minimal fuss. Pope had to make two good saves to go with several comfortable ones, but he really didn’t have the kind of grueling night one expected, until a few weeks ago, from a visiting goalkeeper at Anfield. He was busier than Alisson, but he certainly didn’t stretch any further than the Liverpool keeper, who had to make saves even before knocking down Ashley Barnes for that record-breaking penalty that will have been held at Goodison, Old Trafford, the Etihad. and the King Power and met despair in Fulham, West Brom, Brighton and more.
It is a seismic result at both ends of the table. And while it’s easy to focus on how poor Liverpool were, and they really were, Burnley was superb. It was no surprise the way they played, with eight yellow jerseys in the Liverpool area for much of the night. But unlike the more traditional bus parkers, they always have Barnes and Chris Wood to offer a way out. Those two got through some serious work and it turned out to be the test that finally stretched Fabinho’s so far remarkably successful emergency measure beyond the breaking point. He was the one who let Barnes slip away to win the penalty, probably fouling him before Alisson did for a two-in-one penalty bonus.
Burnley is now seven points above the relegation zone and has settled into a decidedly Burnley run. That’s now 13 binary results – 0-0, 1-0, or 1-1 – out of 19 this season and given that key defenders have returned and Pope has put his earlier-season struggles behind him, it’s been a tough nut to crack. . crack. A great night for Dyche and his team after a perfectly executed game plan. When Pope, Mee, James Tarkowski, Wood, and Barnes play like this, there are few strategies more effective than Burnley’s deceptively simple. They collided with Liverpool at the perfect time and took a spectacular and complete advantage.
But all eyes will be on Liverpool. They were rotten. Again. Yes, there were changes to the attack, but again it was deeply heavy. There are no possibilities ahead. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson are not creating the opportunities they had last season. Thiago looks like a third wheel. A beautiful one, but a third wheel anyway. They are in trouble. The title defense is fading, and so could Champions League football.
Because Liverpool now faces a decisive month. After Manchester United in the cup at the weekend, they will face the other five members of the current top seven in their next six Premier League matches. It has been 36 days since Roberto Firmino led Liverpool, surpassed Spurs and surpassed them to first place. When they meet for the reverse game in a week, it could be the sixth against the seventh. If that one is lost, Liverpool will once again be behind Spurs (who will have a game in hand and will be rather mediocre from Anfield) and potentially nine points behind the leaders. With West Ham, Manchester City, Leicester and Everton all to follow in quick succession. There’s also some Champions League stuff with Leipzig, just in case. It could just be the series of games Liverpool need to get going again (though the United game it’s a strong counterpoint), but you could easily see a season fading completely.
That is the reality Liverpool faces. This game was not unique. If, say, Origi had scored her chance or if Pope hadn’t been in his prime to deny Mo Salah, then Liverpool would have gotten the result they needed, but it wouldn’t really have represented a bent corner. It’s another poor performance in what is now a surprisingly long series.
Dave tickner
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