Liverpool maintain EPL top-four push after victory over Burnley News

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Liverpool maintain EPL top-four push after victory over Burnley

By Daily Sports on March 13, 2017

Emre Can’s superb shot guided Liverpool to a 2-1 home win over Burnley on Sunday and maintained their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Ashley Barnes, with his club’s first goal at Anfield since 1975, had given Burnley a deserved early lead only for Georginio Wijnaldum to equalise in first-half injury time.

And Can struck just after the hour mark to secure victory for Liverpool, although it was a far from convincing performance by Jurgen Klopp’s side.

German international Can collected a short pass from Divock Origi and was allowed space to unleash a right-foot shot from 25 yards which the Burnley goalkeeper, Tom Heaton, might have been expected to save before it reached the bottom left-hand corner of his net.

Liverpool had gone in at the half-time interval level although it was a scoreline that even the most ardent home supporter would have admitted was harsh on Burnley.

With just two away points to their name all season – from a still-impressive tally of 31 – Sean Dyche’s team opened the game aggressively and took the lead in just the seventh minute.

Right-back Matt Lowton crossed low into the area from the wing and, after Andre Gray narrowly missed making contact, Barnes slid in ahead of his marker to force the ball past Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

Burnley, without a victory at Anfield since 1974, would have hoped to reach the interval without conceding an equaliser and looked well on course for that target for the majority of the half.

UNLIKELY EQUALISER

Not until the 45th minute did Liverpool enjoy a ‘shot’ on target and that was actually an over-hit defensive header from Burnley’s Joey Barton which forced Heaton into a comfortable diving save, his first of the game.

But a minute into first-half injury time, Liverpool claimed an unlikely equaliser which raised the mood around the stadium.

Origi, starting in place of the injured Roberto Firmino, crossed from the left and Wijnaldum made a lazy attempt to control the ball, flicking out a boot and benefiting from a fortunate rebound from defender Ben Mee, before drilling home an unstoppable finish from six yards.

Considering recent dominant home wins over Tottenham and Arsenal, it was a disappointing start from a Liverpool side which has struggled against the Premier League's lower-placed clubs this term.

Unbeaten against the top six all season, Liverpool’s five league defeats this term have come against teams currently in the bottom half of the table – including 12th-placed Burnley, who won 2-0 when the sides met at Turf Moor in August.

The first half offered little evidence those troubles were about to change.

Even before the goal, Burnley’s crosses from the right had caused concern, with Gray’s chip almost finding Barnes after five minutes.

Solid at the back, Burnley also looked the more likely to score a second goal after Barnes’s opener.

After 25 minutes, Barnes yet again slipped his marker, Ragnar Klavan, but was offside as he volleyed wide and Gray shot just over from a difficult angle after a Lowton throw-in had flicked off James Milner’s head.

But the second half opened with Liverpool in far more determined mood, although their suspect defending always gave Burnley hope.

Barnes sent a speculative first-time shot wide soon after the restart before Liverpool finally started to threaten, with Joel Matip seeing a shot blocked from a Philippe Coutinho cross.

Can’s goal was still harsh on Burnley, although the visitors almost found a route back into the game just three minutes later, when Mee headed a free-kick across goal and Barnes’s effort was blocked by Klavan.

Both teams squandered late chances for further goals. Sadio Mane had only Heaton to beat but saw the Burnley keeper tip his 12-yard shot over the bar in the closing stages before Lowton missed a glorious opportunity to equalise, shooting wide from a scramble in the area in stoppage time. (© AFP)

•Photo shows Emre Can celebrating his winning goal for Liverpool last night against Burnley at Anfield.

Source Daily Sports

Posted March 13, 2017