ROCK ON, BURNLEY
Dyche’s heroes bring Klopp down to earth
BURNLEY 2 Vokes 2, Gray 37 LIVERPOOL 0
THE signs were there before kickoff. Twice in 15 minutes, Turf Moor’s DJ delved into his collection and put David Bowie’s classic ‘Heroes’ on at full volume.
Should Burnley keep playing in the indefatigable manner that saw them bring Liverpool crashing back to earth, that is what Sean Dyche’s squad will become.
Their third crack at trying to get established in the Premier League is up and running after a thumping afternoon in East Lancashire.
Liverpool had not lost at Turf Moor since Boxing Day 1973 and after opening their campaign with a scintillating 4-3 win at Arsenal, it was expected they would move through the gears and get an early foothold in the race for a top four place.
Not so. Not by a hundred miles. Burnley, thanks to first-half goals from Sam Vokes and Andre Gray, rose to the occasion and, inspired by the class of new record signing Steven Defour, never looked like losing once they had grabbed the advantage. Liverpool had the ball, Burnley took the points.
‘Possession does not win a game,’ said Dyche, when Liverpool’s 81 per cent possession statistic was mentioned to him. ‘That myth came out a few years ago. Leicester proved that (you don’t need possession) last year. Most of the time Liverpool had five or six men in midfield.
‘If I had done that, we would have had a lot of the ball for a long time too. But I wanted to penetrate and create and try to take chances.’
This was a day the locals will savour, one to sit beside the night they beat Manchester United in August 2009, but it is one Dyche will demand is the catalyst for a campaign that retains their status.
‘This win is more important for you lot (the media),’ Dyche said. ‘It is just psychological but, yes, this will clear our minds. We know there is work to be done. We are still in the market and we keep trying to improve. They want big names here and to see Premier League football.’
The headline on Dyche’s programme notes billed this as ‘a game to savour’ and, as you might expect, the tone of the message he promoted was typically upbeat, reminding supporters that this was the type of occasion they hankered for last season in the Championship.
His words, clearly, had some effect as this wonderful old stadium was at its atmospheric best, a tremendous noise greeting the home side as they bounced out of the tunnel, with particular adulation reserved for Defour on his home debut. Within two minutes, the din became even louder. Nathaniel Clyne gave the ball straight to the lurking Gray, who passed the baton on to Vokes and with Ragnar Klavan and Dejan Lovren back-pedalling, the Wales international smashed a drive from 18 yards that fizzed unerringly beyond Simon Mignolet. For a side so impressive six days earlier at Arsenal, the goal seemed to scramble their senses. Liverpool’s players were bemused, passive and, though they had 78 per cent possession in the opening 45 minutes, never once did they threaten to find a way past Tom Heaton. Too often Adam Lallana found his forays towards Burnley’s area blocked off, while Philippe Coutinho — the creative spark at the Emirates Stadium — had one of those games that drive his critics to distraction, every shot he hit ending up going high and horribly wide.
Coutinho, however, was by no means Liverpool’s worst offender. Daniel Sturridge, for instance, performed in a manner that could be best described as enigmatic, the highlight of his 64 minutes being a left-footed drive that thudded into the advertising hoardings.
It was his error, too, that left Liverpool with a mountain to climb in the 37th minute. He dallied on the edge of Burnley’s area and was pounced on by Stephen Ward, who pilfered the ball off the striker and set Defour galloping free. He then found Gray, who found the corner of Mignolet’s net.
‘Even at half time I had the feeling there was still a lot in this game for us,’ said Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp. ‘So then we tried again, but no. The first half was not good for our self-confidence. We lost our timing, our patience in offensive situations. We were really not good.’
They were not much better in the second half, either. For all the passes, from side to side, they never looked like forcing their way back into the contest and Burnley were comfortable, tackling, blocking and snuffing out any danger.
They never looked like adding to their lead but did that matter? Not a bit. Burnley were in full control and come the final whistle there was another explosion of noise and another airing of Heroes. They just have to make sure now it is for more than one day.