Burnley vs. Liverpool: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Liverpool overcame a hard-working Burnley side to record a 1-0 away victory in the Premier League on Boxing Day in a match where neither side managed to show too much attacking quality.
Raheem Sterling scored the only goal of the game in the second half with a composed run and finish from a Philippe Coutinho overhead through ball. Chances fell at both ends, but they were half-hearted in nature, scrappy in buildup and attempted without conviction.
Here are our winners and losers from the match.
Winner: Raheem Sterling
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Liverpool's 20-year-old attacker Raheem Sterling played as the lone No. 9 once more. He worked extremely hard off the ball, though he was often isolated, struggled to get any service and was frustrated by the deep-sitting nature of the rest of the team.
Sterling had just two real sights of goal in the game: He scored the first and saw his second, a late effort, fly over the bar from 20 yards.
His goal provided a glimpse of the best of his game, with his anticipation, acceleration and control of the ball seeing him beat the defence and round the goalkeeper to finish left-footed. There were no genuine standouts in the match for Liverpool, but Sterling, Philippe Coutinho and Mamadou Sakho were perhaps the most impressive.
Loser: Brad Jones...and Simon Mignolet
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Brad Jones continued in goal for Liverpool against Burnley, but his game lasted only a quarter of an hour. He had already been beaten by the time he had to go off injured—the ball struck against the base of the post to preserve Jones' contribution to a clean sheet—and his short run in the team looks over already.
Simon Mignolet, dropped for the past four games, made his earlier-than-expected return to the team and looked nervous and unsure of himself once more.
His kicking was jeered by the home fans. He flapped at a few corners and conceded one where he inexplicably let the ball run behind the line before clearing—though he did keep the clean sheet in the end. It will be a huge surprise if Liverpool don't sign another No. 1 in January.
Winner: George Boyd
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Dean Marney and Ben Mee were impressive for the home team in midfield, but George Boyd was perhaps the most impressive in finding spaces between Liverpool's defensive lines, looking to create chances and threatening from outside the box.
Boyd constantly found himself behind the Reds' midfield two, yet he was not picked up by any of the three centre-backs. He was able to run at the defence, pick a few passes and attempt a number of shots from range.
Like the rest of the Burnley team, he had no luck in finding the target, but it was a performance of conviction and belief from the talented playmaker nonetheless.
Loser: Lucas and Gerrard
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Liverpool's 3-4-3 (or 3-4-2-1, to be tactically accurate) had seen much better link-up play in attack during the past two games, but that was non-existent at Turf Moor.
The problem was that the possession and protecting work done by the two in the centre of the park was lacking today. Lucas Leiva and Steven Gerrard were both left chasing shadows as their opponents worked harder, used the ball better and generally posed a lot more of a threat than the Reds duo.
Whether the run of games caught up with the two or they just both had an off-day, Liverpool needed to change things centrally. The Swansea match on Monday might signal a return for the likes of Jordan Henderson or Emre Can to the centre of the park—or Joe Allen, if he is fit.
Loser: Burnley's Lack of Scoring Threat
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Burnley were the better team against Liverpool. It was not in terms of quality—which was lacking on both teams' part—but rather in terms of intent, aggression, pressing and the will to win.
Ultimately, they didn't—mostly because they have such a dearth of penalty-box talent to call upon. Danny Ings worked hard and had a few moments of magic to get shots away, but beyond him the home team were hoping for a knock-down, a poor defensive moment or a set piece.
They badly need a striker who can add goals to the team if they are to survive this season, but they remain for now in the bottom three.
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