Examining Liverpool's 2-0 victory over Burnley in Further Detail

We examine the winners, losers, and storylines from the evening following the Reds’ victory over Paul Tierney on Boxing Day.

Liverpool ultimately defeated a largely outmatched Burnley team 2-0, setting up a swift return to the Championship. What had appeared to be an unusually comfortable away win instead became an occasionally frustrating struggle against a group of referees determined to make the match closer than it should have been.

Nonetheless, there were many positives to be gained from the match; below, we examine some of the winners and losers from the evening.

victors

Return of Diogoal: When he has been able to play, Diogo Jota has been nothing short of clinical in a season while some of his striking mates have battled with their effectiveness. After a burst of activity from what appeared to be a Burnley team in late hibernation, the Reds looked to close the game. Opportunities to counterattack presented themselves, and although Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz squandered good looks, the Portuguese forward made no such mistake, slotting the ball through James Trafford’s legs from an impossible angle to steal all hope from the hosts.

The former Wolves player hasn’t played since sustaining a hamstring injury against Manchester City one month ago, so his comeback will be welcome news for Liverpool’s injured front line as the second half of a season in which every title is still up for grabs gets underway.

Speaking of Young Trafford, James Trafford had a wonderful game for the Clarets, making eight saves in ninety minutes, including a reflex stop that went over the bar just as Mohamed Salah appeared to be about to score the Reds’ 150th Premier League goal.

The 21-year-old has been playing well for Burnley this season, and if he can continue at this level until the spring, he may be in position for an England call-up and a stay in the Premier League should his side be relegated.

Darwizzy: After missing a few goals this season, the Premier League leader in expected goals per ninety and shots off the woodwork finally found the back of the net today. He finished with an inch-perfect finish from 20 yards, eluding three defenders and the keeper.

Darwin Núñez was back in the midfield today after two displays out on the left side; Cody Gakpo manned the left flank in a manner reminiscent of Coutinho, as he did for PSV, and the team appeared much better as a result. In addition to his consistent vertical threat, the Uruguayan scored in the sixth minute and almost had an assist a minute later when he set up Salah. He also consistently showed signs of improvement in his hold-up play.

Everything is still up for grabs for the Reds if they can have Darwin playing at his peak and producing at least his predicted stats in the second half of the season.

Those who fail

The Second Half: Liverpool had a complete collapse in the second half after a textbook display of press and possession dominance in the first, which saw them rack up 14 shots and 69% of the possession while giving up only two shots in the other direction and just three opposition touches in their own end.

The Reds had no shots between the 43rd and 83rd minutes, which allowed Burnley to maintain possession of the ball and set up the hosts’ eventual near-comeback between the hour and the 80th minute, when they pushed the Reds into repeated possession errors and squandered two significant opportunities.

Though we’ll discuss that in a moment, it wasn’t totally self-inflicted. However, this youthful team still has to consistently learn and apply the skill of retaining focus and energy when gaming domination doesn’t translate into a matching scoreline.

Ti and Si: Oh my goodness, what complete garbage. Both Paul Tierney and Simon Hooper, who have a long and illustrious history of screwing Liverpool and officiating the biggest VAR scandal in Premier League history, were appalling today. They colluded to rule out two goals for Liverpool, the second of which was likely fine and the first of which was completely inexplicable. They also completely ignored an outrageous studs up, no-ball challenge on Ryan Gravenberch and called the game in a way that consistently appeared to favor the home team.

Although they didn’t ultimately change the result of the match, they almost did. As a result of points being lost to both Arsenal and Manchester United due to refereeing errors, confidence in the officials is currently at an all-time low on Merseyside.

What Follows

The ailing blood oil merchants Newcastle and their under-threat boss Eddie Howe are scheduled to visit the Reds on New Year’s Day, giving them almost a full week off. Following that, there’s a midweek journey to London to play Arsenal in the FA Cup third round.

But for now, Reds, go to the top of the standings!