Liverpool battled their way to an ugly 1-0 victory away to Burnley on Sunday, as Man of the Match Fabinho scored the only goal of the game.
Burnley 0-1 Liverpool
Premier League, Turf Moor
February 13, 2022
Goals: Fabinho 40′
Alisson (out of 10) – 8
Alisson is enjoying a superb season and he was again an influential presence at Turf Moor.
The Brazilian denied Josh Brownhill from distance and made a big save to thwart Jay Rodriguez when it was still 0-0.
Calmness personified outside his penalty area, too.
Trent Alexander-Arnold – 6
Far from a vintage showing from the influential right-back, who perhaps struggled in the conditions.
The Reds’ No.66 saw his touch let him down on two occasions, as the ball drifted out of play, and his crossing was more erratic than usual, not helped by a blustery wind.
Took the corner that led to Fabinho‘s opener, though, and improved as the game went on.
Joel Matip – 6
Like Alexander-Arnold, Matip was guilty of sloppiness at times in the first half, losing it cheaply in a dangerous area.
He also didn’t look wholly convincing in Liverpool’s high line, as Burnley created a string of good chances in the opening 45 minutes.
Matip grew into his 150th appearance for the Reds, however, becoming more assured by the minute.
Virgil van Dijk – 7
The Dutchman has looked back to his immaculate best of late, playing a big role in Liverpool’s excellent form.
The wind made for a tough afternoon for him against the Clarets, but barring one air-kick from a cross, he dealt with everything admirably.
No centre-back on the planet comes close.
Andy Robertson – 7
Robertson was the standout Liverpool full-back on Sunday, producing an energetic performance down the left flank.
One lovely first-half cross wasn’t latched on to by Mohamed Salah and he was a constant option on the overlap for the likes of Naby Keita and Sadio Mane.
Has responded brilliantly to competition from Kostas Tsimikas.
Fabinho – 8 (Man of the Match)
What a footballer Fabinho is.
First thing’s first, the 28-year-old was near-perfect in the No.6 role, mopping up danger and handling a physical Burnley side while others fell short of their best.
Not just settling for a strong midfield outing, Fabinho also opened the scoring, notching his fifth goal in seven appearances and earning his team all three points.
Jordan Henderson – 5
Henderson is under pressure now that the likes of Thiago and Harvey Elliott are fit again, following a hit-and-miss season.
The skipper was really poor on Sunday, going too direct in tricky conditions and losing possession an alarming amount.
There was plenty of industry on show, but you were again left wanting far more. Rightly substituted.
Booked and injured himself all in one move after a poor touch early on, which summed things up.
Naby Keita – 6
Much like Henderson, Keita needed a big display with teammates breathing down his neck and he was a solid performer at Turf Moor.
The Guinean tested Nick Pope with a long-range effort and slid one nice pass into Sadio Mane, but generally went about his work in understated fashion.
Effective, but not necessarily an afternoon that will earn him a start away to Inter Milan on Wednesday night.
Mohamed Salah – 6
Making his first start since Africa Cup of Nations duty, Salah was a threat, if not quite at his world-class best.
He looked dangerous twisting and turning in the final third, but ultimately, not a huge amount came of it, with Burnley handling him well.
Cut a frustrated figure.
Sadio Mane – 6
Mane made his first start since January 2, and while he looked on top form for Senegal at AFCON, he was again just adequate for Liverpool.
The Reds’ No.10 missed a wonderful chance to open the scoring but fired straight at Pope, but did play a key part in Fabinho‘s goal.
Everything looked a bit on the ugly side, with a poor attempt to play in Salah summing up his day.
Roberto Firmino – 6
Firmino started down the middle alongside Salah and Mane for the first time in the Premier League since October last year.
This was a performance that we have become a little too accustomed to in the last couple of years, though, with wastefulness in key areas coupled with some heavy touches.
His work rate was impressive, but he isn’t quite the player he once was – now the fifth-best attacker at Liverpool?
Substitutes
Thiago (on for Henderson, 59′) – 7
Brought immediate class and control to the midfield.
Diogo Jota (on for Mane, 67′) – 6
Missed a great change and was largely quiet.
James Milner (on for Keita, 90′) – N/A
Subs not used: Kelleher, Konate, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Tsimikas, Diaz, Elliott
Jurgen Klopp – 8
Klopp was well aware that it would be a testing afternoon in Burnley and it was hard to have any qualms with his starting lineup.
The boss won’t have been happy with the performance at times, which he should shoulder some blame for, but the weather was extremely difficult to thrive in.
Klopp has overseen yet another win for his side and these hard-earned victories have been a fixture of his reign.
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