Liverpool cemented their place in the Premier League‘s top four with a shaky 2-1 victory against Burnley at Anfield on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool 2-1 Burnley
Premier League, Anfield
March 12, 2017
Goals: Wijnaldum 45+1′, Can 61′; Barnes 7′
Liverpool built upon their impressive 3-1 win against Arsenal by recording their first back-to-back victories in the league since New Year’s Eve.
They did so without key forward Roberto Firmino, who was forced to sit out through injury after missing training during the week.
Jordan Henderson and Dejan Lovren were also missing but Firmino’s absence made way for Divock Origi in the starting lineup.
It was a terrible start from the Reds though and Ashley Barnes took advantage when he opened the scoring for Burnley in the seventh minute.
Liverpool didn’t improve either, and they produced arguably the worst opening 45 minutes of the season before Georginio Wijnaldum grabbed a late equaliser just seconds before the half-time break.
Emre Can netted the game’s third goal with a powerful strike from the edge of the box on the hour mark, just moments after Ben Woodburn was introduced to the mix.
He replaced Philippe Coutinho as the Reds looked to extend their lead but it was a nervous ending as Liverpool held on to an uninspiring 2-1 victory.
Here are all the best reactions from Liverpool fans on social media throughout the game.
Conceding in the seventh minute wasn’t the plan but fans weren’t overly surprised…
Liverpool & defending. Just doesn't go. Shambles. But is anyone surprised? Beat Spurs – Lose to Leicester – Beat Arsenal – Burnley……
— Spion Kop (@TheKopHQ) March 12, 2017
“I just wonder what goes through the minds of our players at times like these…”
– NorseDweller on the forums.
Defensively brilliant against Arsenal, yet defensively inept against Burnley. Nothing sums up Liverpool more accurately.
— Leanne Prescott (@_lfcleanne) March 12, 2017
There was heavy criticism for Can and James Milner following a dreadful first-half performance…
Utterly brain-dead start by Emre Can. Far from the only poor performer, though.
— Henry Jackson (@HenryJackson87) March 12, 2017
“Emre Can wants 100k a week for this”
– Zag on the forums.
Can Moreno really be any worse than Milner? What do we work on in our weeks off?
— james (@jamesco_tt) March 12, 2017
But there was praise for Wijnaldum as he stepped up with an important goal on the brink of half-time…
https://twitter.com/jstar1973/status/840967742794608640
GINI ONLY SCORES AT HO-OOOME!
— Umarah (@_umara) March 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/JigglyLFC/status/840967631440101376
And Can’s goal certainly helped his case as his performance improved…
“WHAT A GOAL BY CAN! That certainly silenced some of you plastics!”
– Louis Richardson on Facebook.
Pinpoint precision, what a hit. You could see the weight lifted in the celebration. Like him or not, Emre has some cojones.
— Rory Greenfield (@RoryGreenfield) March 12, 2017
Superb, Emre lad. Stevie G esque. Have that haters! ??
— L4 (@L4Kop10) March 12, 2017
Liverpool held on to secure a 2-1 victory and there was relief from fans at full-time…
“All that talk about Ugly win, I think all that matters is the 3 points to me. Winners win all kinds of games.”
– Jon Seoh on the forums.
We were not at our best, but we won! Pressure on our top 4 rivals, massive win, we have dropped points in games like that before. Get in!
— Fields of Anfield Road (@FOAnfieldRoad) March 12, 2017
Nothing positive to take from the performance.Was as bad as Hull and Leicester. But crucial 3 points to capitalise on our rivals not playing
— Raj Chohan (@rajsinghchohan) March 12, 2017
Not the greatest performance but all that matters at this stage is that we got the 3 points. Enjoy your evening everyone #LFCfamily #lfc pic.twitter.com/GdD3HFZqRo
— Anfield Agenda (@AnfieldAgenda) March 12, 2017
“I’ll take those 3 points any game, but what pleased me most was Coutinho coming off for Woodburn. Basically it’s our manager saying clearly to Coutinho it’s wasn’t good enough. And Woodburn was seriously tidy when he came on.”
– Josh Gardner on Facebook.
https://twitter.com/Fydsy/status/840984099384889345
https://twitter.com/Eathen_1892/status/840983634823774216
“Made up we won, but poor team performance, we are the Jekyll & Hyde of the football world, also we’ve had defensive issues for a few seasons now so that’s nothing new!”
– Kevthered on the forums.
We've won. We weren't at our best. No need for over analysis! If we grind out a CL place nobody will care… #LFC.
— Si Steers (@sisteers) March 12, 2017
Bloody ell ground that one out, in a way many positives to take playing shite but still winning. Great goal by Can. Roll on City. #LFC
— Kirsty (@LFCKirstyLFC) March 12, 2017
“Worst 90 minutes ever but we have finally got a job done playing rubbish. Also I have given Can some grief this season but what a goal. ”
– Abdul Sobur on Facebook.
Most satisfying win of the season. #LFC matched Burnley's physicality, repelled constant long balls and unpicked a deep defence. Fantastic.
— David Lynch (@dmlynchlfc) March 12, 2017
“I was the first one banging on about getting Can off, much better from him in the second half. 3 ugly points, but the tables don’t care.”
– OURPHIL on the forums.
— Billy Liddell (@Liddellpool) March 12, 2017
Horrible display by Liverpool but encouraging to see them play badly and win. A rare occurrence this season.
— Sachin Nakrani (@SachinNakrani) March 12, 2017
Let us know your thoughts on the game in the comments section.
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