by Waiting for Mohamed Salah to return, Liverpool has an emergency trident that works. Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez scored to demolish tough Burnley (3-1) and avoid Manchester City’s lead.
Jürgen Klopp’s men suffered more than expected against one of the teams destined to be relegated to the Championship and if it had not been for the interventions of Caoimhin Kelleher and the aim of the attacking trident, Vincent Kompany’s team could have had a scare . , who knew how to attack the weaknesses in the ‘Reds’ space.
The ‘Clarets’ came out better and they only prevented them from putting themselves ahead by holding on without falling from Kelleher in the one-on-one against Zeki Amdouni.
As usually happens in these situations, it didn’t take long for Kompany and his team to regret the missed chance and in a corner taken by Trent Alexander-Arnold, James Trafford came out for the grapes and let Jota finish without a goalkeeper. For the Portuguese it was his 99th goal in English football, while Alexander-Arnold reached 58 assists in the Premier and became the defense with the most assists in history, ahead of his teammate Andy Robertson.
Trafford was able to make up for it, with a save from Luis Díaz, and Burnley took the deserved reward of the tie, for their efforts, when Dara O’Shea became a giant before Endo and Díaz in a corner and nailed it into Kelleher’s corner . .
Klopp, who by then already had yellow for his protests, he tilted his head and at half-time he looked for a solution in removing Alexander-Arnold and bringing in Harvey Elliott, who has become a kind of unblocker. Despite the team’s defensive fragility, he succeeded.
A center from Elliott on the baseline was deflected by Maxime Esteve and Díaz, like a truck, finished it off at the near post. The goal should have been disallowed due to a foul by Alexis Mac Allister at the beginning of the play, but the VAR only reviewed an offside that did not exist and the goal went up on the scoreboard.
Too many doubts in the rearguard
Despite the advantage, Liverpool continued to be a flan behind and David Datro Fofana, who had just scored a double against Fulham, missed two one-on-ones in one minute that would have meant a tie. One was taken by Kelleher, again impeccable, and in the second he did not find a goal.
Once again, Burnley paid for their innocence and in another cross from Elliott, who left the game with two assists, Darwin Núñez made an impossible turn of the neck to head in the score 3-1.
With this result, Liverpool snatches the lead from Manchester City, just a few hours after Pep Guardiola’s team defeated Everton. Klopp’s men have 54 points, two more than City, who have one game less, and five more than Arsenal, who will play this Sunday against West Ham United.
Burnley is penultimate tied at thirteen points with the bottom, Sheffield United, but with a better goal difference. Salvation is seven points away.
