LIVERPOOR!
Reigning Premier League champion suffers a shock 1-0 loss to lowly Burnley
LIVERPOOL: Jurgen Klopp took responsibility for the sudden collapse of Liverpool’s Premier League title defence after its 68-game unbeaten run in the Premier League at Anfield came to a stunning end in a 1-0 defeat by Burnley on Thursday.
The Clarets began the game just one place above the relegation zone, but gave its chances of beating the drop a huge boost when Ashley Barnes was tripped by Alisson Becker seven minutes from time and then beat the Brazilian from the penalty spot.
Klopp’s men have now failed to win in five consecutive league games to slip to fourth in the table, six points behind leader Manchester United. Liverpool had not tasted a league defeat at Anfield since April 2017.
Since then the ‘Reds’ has ended a 30-year wait to win a league title, but its chances of repeating that feat are fading rapidly after a disastrous run over the past month.
“We lost the game, which I think is pretty impossible to lose, but we did it,” said Klopp.
The champion has been disrupted by a host of defensive injuries, but it has been scoring goals that has cost Liverpool of late.
“In the final moment our decision making is not right, that’s the problem,” added Klopp.
Klopp reacted to Liverpool’s longest Premier League goal drought for 16 years by dropping top scorer Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino to the bench.
But Divock Origi underlined why the champion has been reliant on its habitual front three when he smashed off the underside of the bar with just Nick Pope to beat after an uncharacteristic error from Ben Mee.
The Belgian has scored a number of important goals in big games for Liverpool, most notably netting twice in a 4-0 Champions League semi-final win over Barcelona two seasons ago. But Origi has scored just one league goal since December 2019. Salah and Firmino were introduced to partner Sadio Mane early in the second half, but Burnley held out despite incessant Liverpool pressure.
Pope saved brilliantly from Salah at his near post before Firmino showed why he has struggled for goals all season by slicing horribly wide from Andy Robertson’s inviting cut-back.
Burnley had scored just once itself in its last four games.
But Sean Dyche’s men took advantage of indecision in the Liverpool defence when Alisson upended Barnes, who coolly slotted home Burnley’s first penalty of the season.
Result: Liverpool 0 lost to Burnley 1 (Barnes 83-pen)
In the final moment, our decision making is not right, that’s the problem Jurgen Klopp,
Liverpool manager