Liverpool looked destined to drop two points at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon, but the champions once again found a way to win, with Mohamed Salah striking from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
Supporters may have been expecting to see record-signing Alexander Isak in action for the first time since his Deadline Day move, but Arne Slot opted against including him in his matchday squad. However, he did confirm that the Swede’s debut will arrive in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Few projected difficulties for the champions in Lancashire, but Burnley have so far shown that they won’t be a walkover for the Premier League’s best this term. Here, Scott Parker set them up in a compact 5-4-1 that sought to contain the Reds and exploit their early-season issues defending the counter-attack.
The Clarets broke through Liverpool’s rest defence once or twice in the opening exchanges, but failed to work the goalkeeper. Nevertheless, Parker would’ve been mightily content with their effort and diligence without the ball. While the Reds’ quality shone through in several sequences, Martin Dúbravka’s main issues came from set-pieces. The Burnley shot-stopper wasn’t drawn into a save of note during the opening 45 minutes, as the two sides went into the break goalless.
Slot had changed both of his full-backs come the start of the second half, and the addition of Conor Bradley, in particular, seemed to supply a spark to Liverpool’s rather tepid display. If they were barely tapping on Burnley’s door in the opening period, Slot’s side were trying to tear down walls after the restart.
The Clarets were forced to deal with a barrage of set-plays, while Dominik Szoboszlai, the hero from two weeks ago, forced Dúbravka to scramble with a rasping effort from distance. Liverpool were camped outside the home side‘s box, but Burnley‘s resistance failed to waver in the face of sustained pressure.
There was a sense that the hosts had weathered the worst of the Scouse storm in the second period, but Lesley Ugochukwu’s second yellow card in the closing stages meant Parker’s men would have to dig even deeper to see the result out.
Liverpool have struck late in each of their victories to start 2025–26, and they were gift-wrapped an opportunity to win it in stoppage time when Hannibal Mejbri was penalised for handball in the Burnley box. It was ever so cruel for the hosts, who defended superbly, but they came away with nothing as Salah converted the spot-kick.
Liverpool Player Ratings (4-2-3-1)
Subs not used: Giorgi Mamardashvili (GK), Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo, Trey Nyoni.
Player of the Match: Ryan Gravenberch (Liverpool)
Burnley (5-4-1): Martin Dùbravka; Kyle Walker, Josh Laurent, Hjalmar Ekdal, Maxime Estève, Quilindschy Hartman; Loum Tchaouna, Lesley Ugochukwu, Josh Cullen, Jaidon Anthony; Lyle Foster.
Subs: Max Weiss (GK), Joe Worrall, Marcus Edwards, Bashir Humphreys, Florentino Luís, Zian Flemming, Lucas Pires, Armando Broja, Hannibal Mejbri.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Liverpool Player Ratings vs. Burnley: Reds Leave it Late to Seal 1–0 Win.