BARNES SPOT ON AS THE ANFIELD FORTRESS FALLS
IT IS only a month since Liverpool beat Tottenham at Anfield and then put seven past Crystal Palace in London. Jurgen Klopp’s defending champions had not been at their best throughout the season but were top of the Premier League.
Now, just five league games later, embarrassment beckons. Only one goal has been scored in that time — in a 1-1 home draw against West Brom — and Liverpool are fourth, in danger of being swept further down the table by teams beneath them who have games in hand.
It has been a spectacular tumble down the ladder and now includes this extraordinary and badtempered defeat by Burnley at Anfield.
Some notable statistics surround this result. It was Liverpool’s first home defeat in the league since April 2017. Klopp’s team have now gone four league games without scoring and that hasn’t happened for 20 years.
But the truth is that none of that is as surprising as the result itself. Certainly, Liverpool have struggled recently. Manchester United could well have beaten them here on Sunday had they been a little braver. United will start as favourites when the teams meet again in the FA Cup on Sunday at Old Trafford.
Nevertheless, this was Burnley. Sean Dyche’s team do not generally build their season around big results against the top sides. They tend to do most of their damage by beating teams around them.
But here they put Liverpool on their backsides with a winning penalty seven minutes from time on a night when the home team simply picked their fights with the wrong people.
As half-time neared, Liverpool defender Fabinho appeared to kick out needlessly against the leg of Burnley’s Ashley Barnes as a ball dropped towards them.
The Brazilian was booked — which was about right — and as Klopp made his way down the players’ tunnel he became embroiled in a furious row with Dyche. It was impossible to say who started the exchange or what it was about. Let’s just say Klopp played more than his full part in it.
Roll forward almost an hour and with Liverpool desperately pushing for a win they needed, Burnley broke.
They had tried to get out of their defensive pattern whenever they could throughout the night. Dyche played with two centre forwards and his team looked as though they perhaps felt they could grab something from the game.
Still, their winning goal seemed to come come out of nothing and Fabinho and Barnes were again central to the action.
As the Burnley player looked to roll his opponent and break into the penalty area, Fabinho seemed as though he was trying to block him instead of going with him.
It was a strange move, especially for a player already on a yellow card.
Whatever he was trying to do, the move failed and when Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson brought Barnes down, the penalty was awarded. Barnes scored it low to Alisson’s left and Burnley had their first victory at Anfield since 1974.
The Lancashire team’s performance had been excellent. Importantly, it took them to 19 points — seven clear of the bottom three. They should be OK from this point on.
As for Liverpool, they know what the problem is. When both first- choice defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez suffered injuries early in the season, it appeared Liverpool would struggle at the back.
But it has not worked out that way. No, Liverpool’s problems this season have been at the other end and that killed them again here.
They simply do not create chances the way they used to. Here, with Klopp resting Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino, they did at least create opportunities.
With some better finishing and maybe the occasional run of the ball, they would have scored a couple of goals.
Divock Origi brought two firsthalf saves from Nick Pope and hit the bar when a slip by Ben Mee set him clear just before half-time.
In the second half, Pope saved low by his left post from Trent Alexander-Arnold and almost identically from Salah, who was thrown on for the final half-hour.
Sadio Mane also came close — firing into the Kop after Salah supplied him — and Firmino spooned a shot wide when he really should have done better.
So there were opportunities and Pope was probably Burnley’s man of the match, despite a colossal contribution from Barnes.
But that doesn’t disguise the fact that this was far too recognisable from Liverpool — and not in a good way. Too much of their play was too slow. Too much of it was sideways. Too much was predictable.
At their best, this team come at you like a river bursting its banks. Currently, Liverpool and their manager look like they are wading upstream.
Next up in the league are games at Tottenham and West Ham. It is no exaggeration to say their title defence could be done by February.
If Klopp has any sense he will pick a strong team in the FA Cup on Sunday.