Liverpool 1-1 Burnley: 5 Talking Points as Nick Pope keeps the Reds at bay

There was a shock result at Anfield, as an injury-depleted Burnley held the champions Liverpool to a 1-1 draw in the Premier League.

No fewer than seven members of Burnley's first-team squad were unavailable for the fixture, leaving Sean Dyche with no option but to name a highly youthful bench. But that did not stop the Clarets from giving their all and leaving Merseyside with a well-deserved point.

The visitors came into the fixture having picked up 10 points from their first five fixtures post-lockdown, which matches the total posted by Liverpool in the same period. They aimed to prove their mettle against one of the most dominant sides in Premier League history.

With the league wrapped up, Jurgen Kloop took the opportunity to hand out rare starts to youngsters like Neco Williams and Curtis Jones, although the regular front three of Roberto Firmino, Mo Salah, and Sadio Mane were named in the starting lineup.

Liverpool saw most of the ball early on as expected, with over 70% possession garnered in the first 30 minutes. But they found it tough to break down a resolute Burnely defence which was well marshalled by James Tarkowski.

Mo Salah and Curtis Jones got good openings early on but did not take their chances, before Robertson broke the deadlock with an excellent header from a lofted pass by Fabinho in the 34th minute.

Jay Rodriguez and Dwight McNeil missed good chances or Burnley after they caught out the Liverpool defence late in the first half, while Sadio Mane forced yet another excellent save from Nick Pope right on the stroke of half-time.

The second half was more open, with Mane, Salah, and Firmino all testing Pope. Burnley got a deserved equalizer just 11 seconds after the second half cooling break, with a deep free kick won in the air by Tarkowski and converted on the half-volley by Rodriguez.

Jurgen Klopp made a raft of changes in a bid to swing the tide in his side's favour, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Naby Keita, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all coming on in the final 25 minutes of the fixture.

The equalizer made the game more open and chances were traded between both sides, with Burnley's unsurprisingly coming from set-pieces. Johann Gudmonsson should have done better when he found himself unmarked in front of goal after a corner was not dealt with by the Liverpool defence, but he could only smash his effort against the crossbar,

There was a last chance for Liverpool to grab all three points when Arnold cut back an excellent center for an unmarked Salah, but the Egyptian international could only shoot tamely straight at Nick Pope on his weaker right foot.

Up next for Liverpool is a home game against Chelsea, while Burnley would host Wolverhampton Wanderers at Turf Moor. Here, we shall be highlighting five talking points from the stalemate at Anfield.

#5 Salah loses ground in the race for the Golden Boot

Liverpool FC v Burnley FC - Premier League

Two spectacular seasons with Liverpool saw Mo Salah win consecutive Golden Boots and with 19 goals, the 28-year-old currently finds himself three goals shy of pacesetter Jamie Vardy in the race for the Premier League Golden Boot.

The Egyptian international scored a brace in the last fixture against Brighton to put him right back in contention for a three-peat, and he would have been looking to cover the gap with a couple of goals against Burnley.

This much was evident in the way he played, as he shot at goal with every opportunity he got. But a combination of poor finishing and an inspired Nick Pope meant that Salah is running out of games to became the third man in history to win three consecutive Golden Boots.

#4 Burnley retain outside chance at European qualification

Sean Dyche's side could make the top six

While he might not get as much adulation as some of the elite managers do, Sean Dyche has been magnificent on the Burnley touchline, and has overseen their transformation into a competitive Premier League side.

Having finished a record-breaking seventh two seasons ago, the Clarets imploded last term and battled relegation for most of the campaign. But this season has been vastly different and with just three matches left, Burnley currently find themselves in 9th position, with their draw against Liverpool putting them just two points behind the last Europa League spot.

#3 Inspired performance from Nick Pope

Coming into this fixture, Nick Pope led the way in the race for the Golden Glove with 19 clean sheets, which was one more than Alisson had managed, albeit in fewer matches.

Robertson's first-half goal meant that he did not make it clean sheet number 20 but apart from the excellent header by the Scottish full-back, Pope was up to the task for everything else the Liverpool attack threw at him.

The 28-year-old made no fewer than eight saves on the day, with three of those being world-class saves from Mane, Salah, and Jones. In this form, Gareth Southgate would definitely consider calls for the Burnley man to be made England's first choice between the sticks.

#2 Liverpool lose the chance to write their name in the record books

Liverpool came into this fixture having not tasted defeat at home in the Premier League since a 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace in April 2017, with each of the last 24 league games at Anfield ending in a victory for the Reds.

With 17 wins from their first 17 league games at home this season, Jurgen Klopp's side stood on the cusp of history, as victories in their last two home games against Burnley and Chelsea would have seen them become the first side to win all home matches in a single league campaign, since Sunderland did so 125 years ago (13 games won at home).

With 22 minutes remaining, they seemed on course for the record but Rodriguez' spectacular leveller saw them lose out on their place in the record books.

The draw also means that Liverpool have little margin for error if they are to become only the second centurions after Manchester City, with three victories from their last three matches needed to surpass the Mancunians' record haul of 100 points.

#1 Roberto Firmino's Anfield woes continue

Roberto Firmino's importance to the Liverpool cause cannot be underestimated but for all his industry and selflessness, a major criticism of his game has been that he needs to score more goals.

Nowhere is this more evident than in his poor run at Anfield, with the Brazilian international having not found the back of the net at home since scoring the second in Liverpool's first leg victory in the Champions League quarterfinal way back in April 2019.

The former Hoffenheim man almost broke his duck when he saw a left-footed effort whizz past Pope, only for it to crash off the post. With just one match remaining, it seems like Firmino could end this Premier League season without a goal at Anfield.