Bench boost
Subs make the difference yet again for Liverpool
FOR all the talk about Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland making Manchester City i mpregnable, Li v e r pool are f e e l i ng bullish about the strength of their own squad.
Missing key players including Mohamed Salah and Alisson, Jurgen Klopp’s side got the job done in front of Anfield’s record league crowd, even when Trent Alexander-Arnold’s injury left them without a recognised right back for the second half.
Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo have all scored critical goals from the bench this season and on Saturday it was another substitute, Harvey Elliott, who made the difference with two match-winning assists after his half-time introduction.
Elliott has started 25 Premier League games for Liverpool and been a replacement in 35. It’s not the ratio an ambitious 20-year-old would want but skipper Virgil van Dijk stressed the need for the whole squad to contribute if Liverpool are to give Klopp a farewell Premier League title.
‘I’m sure Harvey would love to be playing every week but at the highest l evel you have to be patient and grab your moments when you get them,’ said Van Dijk. ‘He has to keep going. Don’t be frustrated that you don’t start sometimes, it i s part of the business. When you get your opportunities, you have to perform and that’s what Harvey has done in this case.
‘Subs have made a big impact for us in games this season and this was another clear example. That definitely needs to be the case going forward as well.’
Although Burnley looked an easy enough fixture on paper, Klopp knew the potential pitfalls and was even more animated than usual along the touchline.
The late withdrawals of Alisson and Joe Gomez with flu added to the patched-up feel of Liverpool’s line-up with Salah, Joel Matip and Dominik Szoboszlai injured, Ibrahima Konate suspended and Conor Bradley unavailable f ollowing the death of his father.
Nerves jangled when a header f r om Dara O’Shea cancelled out Diogo Jota’s opener a nd Al e x a nderAr n o l d d i d n’ t reappear after t he i nterval because of discomfort in his knee, forcing Klopp to send on Elliott (right) and switch Curtis Jones to right back for the first time in his career.
Elliott did enough in 45 minutes to be t he man of t he match. He brought energy to the right flank and delivered crosses for Diaz and Nunez to score and maintain Li v e rpool’s t wo- point advantage at the top. It was great theatre in front of 59,896, eclipsing the previous highest a t t e ndance dating back to 1949, as the upper tier of the Anfield Road Stand opened. ‘Outrageously wonderful,’ is how Klopp described it. ‘It was really loud in the right moments.’ With City yet to travel to Anfield this season, that atmosphere could be a 12th man. Burnley boss Vincent Kompany acknowledged: ‘It’s a crowd with a lot of history and passion for the team. That’s always tough.’
Emotions ran high with both managers booked for protesting — Klopp when Jota didn’t get a penalty, Kompany for claiming a foul on Aaron Ramsey in the buildup to Liverpool’s second goal.
With Andy Robertson starting his first game since October, Kostas Tsimikas also back off the bench and Salah and Bradley due to return to training next week, Liverpool are set to get stronger, particularly if Alexander-Arnold’s issue is as minor as hoped.
City get kudos for the strength of their bench, with De Bruyne and Jack Grealish coming on at the weekend, but there is no inferiority complex at Anfield. ‘I’ve been very impressed by our players who have come in,’ added Van Dijk. ‘It’s important for guys to grab their moments and they are doing it.’
For joint-bottom Burnley, things don’t get any easier despite their enterprise. Next up for them are Arsenal. LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Kelleher 6; Alexander-Arnold 6.5 ( ELLIOTT 46min, 8), Quansah 5.5, Van Dijk 6, Robertson 6.5 (Tsimikas 90); Mac Allister 6.5 (Clark 90), Endo 7 (McConnell 90), Jones 7; Jota 7, Nunez 6, Diaz 7 (Gakpo 82). Scorers: Jota 31, Diaz 52, Nunez 79. Booked: Quansah, Endo, Klopp, Nunez Manager: Jurgen Klopp 7. BURNLEY (4-4-2): Trafford 6; Assignon 7, O’Shea 7, Esteve 6 (Vitinho 80), Delcroix 5.5; Ramsey 6 (Massengo 81), Berge 6, Brownhill 7, Odobert 6.5; Fofana 6, Amdouni 6 (Bruun Larsen 86). Scorer: O’Shea 45 Booked: Brownhill, O’Shea, Kompany. Manager: Vincent Kompany 7. Referee: Tim Robinson 6. Attendance: 59,896.