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Goals in each half from Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane led Liverpool to a comfortable 2-0 win over Burnley in their Premier League clash at Anfield on Saturday.
The Reds had the upper hand in the opening exchanges and delighted the returning home crowd by taking the lead in the 18th minute through a clever header from Jota.
The hosts pressed hard for a second but were held at bay by a resolute Burnley side who had their chances to score at the other end but went in at half-time a goal down.
Liverpool’s lead never looked in any real danger as the second half played out, and it was Jurgen Klopp’s men who doubled their advantage in the 69th minute through Mane’s powerful volley.
Burnley had a couple of decent chances to find a way back into the game late on as the Reds took their foot off the gas, but were unable to find a way past a solid defence as the home side secured a clean sheet along with the three points.
On that note, here are Liverpool’s player ratings from the game.
Alisson: 7/10
From rushing off his line to intercept a series of lofted passes, a couple of smart reaction saves from close range and a string of excellent stops late on, Alisson was more than equal to whatever Burnley threw at his goal and deserved the clean sheet.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: 6/10
Matched his opposite full-back with a deft assist to cap off an excellent attacking display that also saw him execute his defensive responsibilities fairly well.
Joel Matip: 5/10
Stood his ground well and delivered a solid, no-nonsense display as the visitors seemed to make it a point to focus their forward forays down his side of the pitch.
Virgil van Dijk: 5/10
Dealt well with the considerable physical threat of Burnley’s forward line and never looked hurried or unduly troubled at any point during the game.
Kostas Tsimikas: 6/10
Once again slotted in capably for Andy Robertson and even popped up with an assist for the opener with a pin-point cross reminiscent of the injured Scotsman.
However, Tsimikas remains a weak link in the Liverpool back four and was consistently targeted by the Liverpool wide men.
Jordan Henderson: 5/10
Making his first competitive appearance for the Reds since February, Henderson eased his way back to match fitness with an assured performance.
The Liverpool skipper elected to stay deep and focus on his defensive duties while allowing his more youthful and energetic midfield companions to do most of the running.
Naby Keita: 5/10
An energetic box-to-box display from the Liverpool midfielder was to little avail, as he struggled to make a real impact on proceedings.
Harvey Elliott: 6/10
Looked excellent on the ball and showed off several deft touches and clever passes and was involved in virtually every promising move that the Reds put together.
Mohamed Salah: 5/10
A purposeful attacking display included everything but a goal as the Egyptian had a goal ruled out for offside and saw a couple of other efforts go close but ultimately failed to get on the scoresheet.
Diogo Jota: 7/10
Continued to justify his inclusion in the side ahead of Firmino with another well-taken goal while showcasing excellent movement throughout.
Sadio Mane: 7/10
Needed a couple of presentable opportunities to find his shooting boots but took his chance with great confidence when it came.
Substitutes:
Thiago: N.A.
Made his first appearance of the season after replacing Keita for the final 10 minutes but did not get on the ball enough to make a real impact.
Roberto Firmino: N.A.
Came on for the final 10 minutes as a like-for-like replacement for Jota but did not have much time to leave his mark on proceedings.
Joe Gomez: N.A.
Made his long-awaited return to the playing field after a lengthy injury layoff as he replaced Tsimikas in added time towards the end of the game.
