That’s a great win. I know it was only Burnley and they’re shite, but this was a big boy second half performance from the lads and it’s a huge three points.
Seven changes and playing three days after a physically and emotionally draining Derby win, this was always going to be a grind. The first half was predictably gash and when we fell behind early in the second there’s no doubt we were in trouble. We’ve seen games like this before. Hell, we’ve seen them at this ground. I wasn't exactly panicking, but I was seriously concerned.
Two years ago we completely dominated the game, fell behind, couldn’t get back into it and then conceded another. This is a massively different team these days though. They’re battle hardened, know how to get results and don’t need to be at their best to do it. That said, I thought the second half display was really, really good.
I had no issue whatsoever with the team selection. I’ve said this before, but if we accept that players can’t play in every single game (which I think we all do, don’t we?), then we can’t complain when they’re left out, surely?
Ok, seven changes seems a little excessive, but Klopp doesn’t just do this on a whim. We’ve had a busy time of it and the fixture load gets even more hectic over the next couple of weeks. Mane and Robbo were injured, while leaving out Firmino was a no brainer. It made sense to freshen up the midfield too with Hendo, Milner and Keita.
Maybe Salah could have started considering Sadio and Bobby weren’t, but we’ve got some big games coming up and Klopp has to manage it as he sees fit. Some may call it arrogance, believing Klopp has thought “it’s only Burnley”, but I don’t see it that way.
If he’d played his strongest eleven in this game he’d have had to leave a few out at the weekend when we go to Bournemouth. What’s the tougher looking game? Burnley might be more of a battle, but Bournemouth is the tougher fixture.
Besides, the line up that we put out should have been good enough to take care of Burnley. It wasn’t though and Klopp had to send for the cavalry in the second half. Most of the players who came in didn’t exactly enhance their hopes of a more regular start.
Moreno was ineffective, Origi never really got into the game, Sturridge took a long time to get going (he was good when he eventually did) and Matip was ok but had some problems dealing with the awkward Ashley Barnes, who’s the master of backing into defenders and winning free-kicks. He’s a right bastard to play against him, such a crafty fucker.
He’s great at what he does and for me he represents the only chance Burnley have of staying up. If he doesn’t start scoring goals they’ve had it, as he’s their most important player. He found the net in spectacular style in the first half but was rightly ruled offside. Great finish though.
He’s a handful. He robbed Van Dijk at one point and for a second it looked like trouble, but Virgil had caught up with him within about five yards and just shrugged him off like he was a little kid. Not many are going to do that to the powerful Barnes, but that’s Virgil for you, he’s a one off.
Very little happened in the first half. We had some 'nearly' moments, which usually involved the lively Keita. He was at the heart of anything good we produced and was much more direct and adventurous than he has been. We were always just one pass away from getting in though.
The second half started much better and we seemed to have more intensity about us. Sturridge brought a brilliant save out of Hart and we were looking good at that point. It felt like a goal was coming, and it did. Except it was at the wrong end.
Not that it should have counted. Burnley worked the corner well by blocking Van Dijk off so he couldn’t head it clear (as he’d done with virtually ever other ball into the box), but when it was nodded back in by Tarkowski, Wood was a yard offside. He tried to get a toe on the ball and his involvement is the only reason Alisson didn’t make a simple save.
I could even make a strong case that the goal shouldn’t have counted because Alisson had two hands on the ball when Barnes challenged him, but it’s the offside that I’m most pissed off about. It was obvious, it wasn’t a close call, and it’s galling that our brilliant defensive record has been damaged by a goal that should never have stood.
At the time though that was the least of my concerns. I could see the points slipping away and we really couldn’t afford to fall five points behind City. Even a draw wouldn’t be much good as that would mean a four point gap. We’ve got to win these games, it’s that simple.
And win it we did. The response to going behind was great. We stepped it right up, put them under and turned the game around. Milner collected a short pass from Origi and drilled a precise low shot into the corner, giving his old mate Hart no chance.
Klopp sent on Firmino and Salah for Moreno and Origi. You could see the lads had the bit between their teeth now and when Sturridge was hauled down, Trent floated in a free-kick, Virgil stretched out a long leg and Bobby tapped in with his first touch.
Keita had a terrific shot brilliantly tipped onto the post by Hart, and soon after there was an almighty scramble that could have seen us score three times in about five seconds. Keita had a shot saved, Salah’s follow up was also kept out but he collected the loose ball and cut it back to Keita again. This time the shot was blocked by a defender. The ball was fired back in by Hendo, Naby flicked it goal wards and Bardsley scrambled it off the line.
Normally something like that would make me think it wasn’t our day and I’d be bracing myself for an equaliser. This year it’s been different though. We’ve had a lot of breaks go our way, so much so that you start to wonder if it’s a sign.
I never felt like we’d relinquish the lead because we defend so well these days, but when they got a stoppage time corner my nerves were jangling just a little. With good reason too, as they were within a whisker of pegging us back, but thankfully Alisson got a touch that diverted Mee’s header onto the bar. Phew, fucking hell that was close.
When the ball was played back in, Alisson did well to keep it in play and prevent another corner, and then he had the awareness to throw it out to Sturridge to start a counter. I fucking love these goals. Nothing finer than a Reds counter attack from an opposition corner.
Sturridge lofted the ball into space for Salah, who in turn lobbed it over a defender into the path of Shaqiri who laced it into the corner. Great goal, great win, great celebration from Shaq.
Our best ever start to a top flight season this is. And it’s still not enough to be top. That’s what we’re having to deal with, but all we can do is keep winning and hope they crack before we do.
We’ve lost Gomez for a while now by the looks of it, which is bad news considering the big games we have coming up. He never even attempted to stand up and put any weight on the ankle. That’s not a good sign as he’s had ankle injuries before so he’ll know when it’s bad or not. All we can do is hope it’s not as serious as it looked.
Jurgen had a moan afterwards about their tackling. Sorry, not having it. The tackle that injured Gomez was fine. Nothing wrong with it; not dangerous, not overly aggressive, just a good tackle. The kind of tackle that Klopp has often celebrated like a goal in fact.
The Bardsley one on Moreno should have been a straight red, but aside from that I didn’t see anything untoward from Burnley at all. They’re second from bottom, playing the team second from top. Of course they’re gonna get stuck in. Not sure why Kloppo has gone all Arsene Wenger about it.
Dyche was unhappy about something afterwards, but fuck him, the tit.
All in all just what was required. It’s not easy just churning out win after win, especially when you’re not on a roll and playing great. What we’re doing is fantastic and it’s based mostly on the solid foundation given to us by Alisson and Van Dijk. Those two might make all the difference.
Van Dijk is just incredible. I can’t get over how good he actually is. He’s just completely dominant. He reminds me of LeBron James. By that I mean even in a game when there are several great players on view, he’s the one that just stands out as being bigger and stronger and better than everyone else out there.
He was the star man but Keita was very good too. If Naby can finally start to produce the form we were expecting then that will be huge. This was probably his best game so far so let’s hope he can build on that.
Roll on Saturday, when we play first and will hopefully be able to put pressure on City with a win that would send us top before they have to face Chelsea.
Let’s do this Redmen!!
Team: Alisson; Gomez (Alexander-Arnold), Matip, Van Dijk, Moreno (Salah); Henderson, Milner, Keita; Shaqiri, Sturridge, Origi (Firmino):
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