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Burnley took on Liverpool at the Turf Moor in their mid-week game yesterday. With Manchester City's win over Watford a night before, Liverpool were now 5 points behind the leaders.
The Reds' recent form was an area of concern for Jurgen Klopp. Divock Origi barely got them three points on derby day against Everton, when he scored unconvincingly late into stoppage time.
Burnley, on the other hand, had different concerns to address. They had been in the relegation zone for quite some time but they now had a chance to move ahead of Cardiff City to the 16th spot with a win.
Klopp made rotations to his starting XI and benched Mo Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Roberto Firmino. Instead, he gave starts to Xherdan Shaqiri, Origi, Alberto Moreno and Joel Matip.
While Liverpool dominated the possession for most of the match, they failed in making enough head-ways through the defense. It was Burnley who looked more threatening to score right from the start.
The hosts opened the scoring on the night at Turf Moor. Jack Cork somehow managed to roll the ball past Alisson after a few scrambles to get the ball in. But Liverpool got themselves back into the mix through James Milner's outside-the-box shot which beat Joe Hart.
Klopp's subsequent substitution of Firmino and Salah paid off. Firmino scored after spending just three minutes on the pitch, while Shaqiri put a cap on the game after scoring in stoppage time to give Liverpool three points.
Burnley will stay in the relegation zone with 9 points while Liverpool are right at Manchester City's tail at second place. Here are five talking points from the game.
#5 Burnley frustrate Liverpool but lack the finishing touches
Burnley might not have had the possession for most of the game, but when they had it they tried to make Liverpool pay. There were a lot of chances that the hosts should have taken in the first half, but either the final pass was poor or the first touch was poor.
Burnley's rough tackling game hit Liverpool hard. Joe Gomez had to be taken off around the 20th-minute mark due to a harsh tackle, and was replaced by Alexander-Arnold.
They shut Liverpool down in the first half, not letting the Reds go anywhere near the box. They also kept hitting them on the counter-attack.
However, the lack of finishing and the inability to protect the one-goal lead that they had cost them the game. Liverpool fought back in the second half thanks to Milner's goal, despite the tight defense of Burnley.
It was a hard-fought win for Liverpool, but a win all the same.
#4 A disappointing performance from Origi
Origi might have scored the winner against Everton but that could be termed as sheer dumb luck. He had failed to get a starting spot since May 2017 in the Liverpool team, and his selection over the likes of Salah and Firmino yesterday just for the sake of squad rotation didn't make a lot of sense.
Origi had a disappointing night at the Turf Moor; it seems that being on the sidelines for a long period of time has made him rusty. He did not offer much on the pitch - not pace, nor passing or shooting.
His defensive contribution was practically zero too, with no attempted tackles or interceptions. He lost out in two offensive aerials and was dispossessed twice on possession.
The stats might show that he had an assist to his name. But in reality Milner had little help from Origi in scoring the goal, other than that he had passed the ball to him.
Origi was substituted in the 66th minute, and has certainly failed to cement a spot when fixture congestion occurs.
#3 Mixed day for Klopp: Poor starting XI but timely substitutions
With fixture congestion certainly taking its toll on the players, Klopp made the right decision to rotate his team's players. But how did he do that? He gave a start to Origi, who hadn't had a start for over one and a half years. Klopp also started a front six who had never played together before.
Without cohesion between the players, Liverpool were always in for a struggle - which was visible from the poor exchange of passes and failure to create straight-forward chances. Klopp could always have started at least one of Firmino and Salah; there was nothing to lose from that. Also, left on the bench was Fabinho, who had played the previous game. Match practice should have been considered by Klopp.
But when it came to substitutions, the manager recognized the problem correctly and made amends. He took out Origi and the underwhelming Alberto Moreno before introducing Salah and Firmino.
The team showed better incisiveness when two of the regulars showed up on the field. Unlike some occasions when the substitutes are asked to make a sudden impact, Klopp gave his forwards a full 30 minutes to do so. But Firmino scored just three minutes into his time on the pitch.
All in all, it was a day of some good and some bad decisions by Klopp.
#2 Lack of squad depth is a concern for Liverpool
While Klopp should have started with one of Salah or Firmino in yesterday's game, the lack of squad depth might have held him back. With Bournemouth coming up on Saturday and then a must-win encounter against Napoli, the gaffer would have wanted his star players to remain fresh.
The presence of so many star players is a bit of a problem for Liverpool. The players who spend more time on the bench are not nearly as good in any aspect when compared with the regular starters.
We saw how poor Moreno, Matip and Origi looked yesterday. Even good players like Shaqiri, Sturridge and Milner failed to get a breakthrough against Burnley. If they face really good defenses like Juventus and Atletico Madrid, they will likely struggle.
When we look at Manchester City and the youth brigade that Pep Guardiola has with him, we see players who are familiar with each other and are almost too good to be on the bench. Klopp doesn't have the freedom to try out more combinations, as the team is reliant on their trident of attackers.
Come January, it wouldn't be a surprise if Liverpool tried to sign a midfielder who could help more with attacking when the forwards are not in the best form. Isco maybe?
#1 Naby Keita proves his worth
If any player proved yesterday that he deserves more time in the starting XI, it was Naby Keita. Although he did not make the score sheet, he was very good in a particularly dull first half otherwise.
Keita had the physical prowess to repel the rough gameplay of Burnley, and he provided a good connection between the midfield and the forwards. His passing was also on full display as he registered a 93% accuracy, the highest by any player in the game.
Keita finally seems good to go in his role operating in the deeper part of the midfield.
He was unlucky not to score when his shot was saved at full stretch by Joe Hart. However, he still delivered what many people believe was a Man of the Match performance.
Liverpool need these types of performances in the coming games as well.
