Liverpool 1-1 Burnley
by James Nalton
at Anfield

BURNLEY came away from Anfield with a deserved point on Saturday, despite the stats showing a game in which Liverpool dominated.

There was plenty of possession for Arne Slot’s team (73 per cent), and plenty of shots (32), but there was little threat beyond an outstanding individual display from Florian Wirtz.

If Dominik Szoboszlai had scored the penalty kick won for Liverpool by Cody Gakpo with around half an hour played, rather than hitting the bar, the narrative might have been different. 

But Liverpool did take the lead in the first half and couldn’t build on it or hold on to it, so maybe the issues of failing to complete the job would have been the same.

Unsurprisingly, it was Wirtz who fired in Liverpool’s goal just before halftime following good work from Hugo Ekitike.

By the time of Marcus Edwards’ second-half equaliser, set up by a Florentino through ball, it could be said that a Burnley goal had been coming, such was Liverpool’s drop-off.

Edwards had fired just off target at the start of the half, and Ibrahima Konate had to be at full stretch to prevent Jaidon Anthony from having a tap-in from an Edwards cross following a counter-attack.

At the other end, Wirtz worked his way through the Burnley defence only to be stopped at the last by goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, then more magic from the German set up Gakpo, whose shot was cleared off the line by Bashir Humphreys.

Liverpool not taking their chances in key moments, while the opposition take theirs, has been a familiar story for the Reds this season.

In the past two months, Liverpool have played each of the newly promoted sides at home and only managed draws against each. They also played one of those teams, Leeds United, away, and only managed a draw in that game, too.

The draws make the fact that Liverpool are unbeaten in 10 league games less impressive, as does the fact that they have only won five of their last 17. 

Even as their new signings look to have settled on an individual level, with Milos Kerkez also putting in another good performance, they are not quite clicking as a team. 

Worries that Wirtz was lacking in goals and assists on first arriving in the league have now been replaced with concerns that he was Liverpool’s only good attacking player versus Burnley.