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Eleven matches unbeaten in all competitions, Liverpool would hope to extend their run against relegation-battling Burnley.
After making changes in the FA Cup against Barnsley, Arne Slot returned largely to the side that drew with Arsenal. Curtis Jones and Hugo Ekitiké coming in for Conor Bradley and Alexis Mac Allister was the only difference.
Likewise, despite thrashing Millwall in the FA Cup, Scott Parker mostly returned to the eleven that drew with Manchester United. Axel Tuanzebe and Jaidon Anthony replacing Josh Laurent and Hannibal Mejbri were the sole changes.
Despite their difficult current circumstances, Burnley didn’t come to Anfield just to spoil the game. They did often attempt to press Liverpool high, although it was rarely successful, passed around to find a free man.
Likewise, they did also attempt to pass out, chipping the ball over the Liverpool press to their wing-backs, although this too was mostly unsuccessful, while they also got men running forward to join the attack, playing directly but not mindlessly hoofing it.
For the most part though, they were forced into defending, sitting deep in a 5-4-1 shape.
Liverpool seemed better prepared here than they often have when facing a low block though. On the left, Milos Kerkez posed a threat early on attacking the gap between the wing-back and centre-back. As a result, Lesley Ugochukwu began to drop back into defence to fill this gap, but this would just leave a space in midfield for Liverpool to use instead.
Meanwhile, Liverpool would overload the right flank, using various combinations of players to outnumber Burnley and pass around them. Bashir Humphreys was often drawn out to meet Florian Wirtz, which would leave a gap in defence to be exploited, but if he didn’t step out then Wirtz would go free, allowing him to pick out a pass.
Liverpool were having success in the centre too. They would have Dominik Szoboszlai and Jones join Wirtz between the lines, while Ryan Gravenberch was frequently left free behind them. This meant that Gravenberch could simply stride forward with the ball, and eventually a Burnley midfielder would be forced out to meet him, opening up an attacking midfielder in front of him to receive a pass.
Burnley’s desire to ensure they had defensive cover would have a similar effect. They would pull extra men back into defence to form a back six or seven, but this would then leave space around the edge of the box for Liverpool to make use of.
A similar situation led to Liverpool’s penalty. Burnley pulled men back, and with Florentino Luis marking Wirtz and Ugochukwu Jones, no one picked up Cody Gakpo between them. Jones slipped the ball through to the Dutchman, and the two Burnley midfielders converged on him, with Florentino fouling him. Szoboszlai failed to convert the resulting penalty however.
Liverpool would end up taking the lead before half-time though. Hugo Ekitiké plucked a long ball out of the air with a great first touch then dribbled towards goal, seeing Burnley pull most of their team back towards their six yard box. This left space deeper, so Jones passed back to Wirtz, and he shaped as if to shoot into the far corner, only to blast it in at the near.
Burnley were much improved in the second half though. Their pressing was much more effective, with the wingers pressing the Liverpool centre-backs while curving their runs to block the pass wide, and Armando Broja keeping a closer eye on Gravenberch. Behind them, the midfielders would stick tight to the Liverpool midfielders, and the wing-backs would push up towards the full-backs. This saw Burnley win the ball in Liverpool’s half on several occasions.
In possession, Burnley would bait the Liverpool press, drawing their players forward, while Marcus Edwards and Anthony would tuck inside into the middle to outnumber Gravenberch. This allowed Burnley to quickly break at Liverpool.
They would also overload their left flank, pushing not only Lucas Pires, but Humphreys forward too, outnumbering Liverpool’s widemen to play around them.
Mid-way through the half, Burnley equalised. With Humphreys pushing forward, Burnley outnumbered Liverpool in midfield, four against three. This saw Florentino go free, which seemed to put Gravenberch in two minds as to whether he should step up or follow Edwards. He did neither, allowing Florentino to roll the ball in behind for Edwards to run onto and finish low.
After levelling, Burnley sat back to defend, and Liverpool appeared to have forgotten most of their successful strategies from the first half. They mostly sought to pass through the middle, but Burnley limited the space better now by pulling all eleven men back behind the ball.
Rather than overloading the right side as they had in the first half, Jeremie Frimpong now found himself isolated for the most part, although Kerkez did continue to venture forward on the left to mixed results.
Liverpool’s unbeaten run has seen them get good results despite poor performances. The first half here saw Liverpool put in a genuinely good performance though, only for the second half to completely undermine it.
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