In cold, windy conditions and the occasional hailstorm, Burnley got off to a bright and breezy start to the game. In front of the Kop, Ashley Westwood, scored directly from a corner after just 6 minutes, Alisson obstructed in the six-yard box between a Jack Cork and James Tarkowski sandwich, the later also climbing on the keeper's back. Liverpool awaited referee Marriner's whistle for a foul, but it never came. The Liverpool players ran to the man in black seeking explanations, on the touchline, Klopp was like a giraffe in heat. A nervy Anfield, with 29 years of hurt, began to discuss how the weather and the referees might cost Liverpool any chance of the title this season.
Burnley boss, Sean Dyche, had formulated a cunning plan to keep Liverpool at bay. His team would sit back in a narrow formation, leaving acres of space on the wings. Any crosses that came into the box from Robertson and Alexander-Arnold would be easily dealt with by his defenders and it would also be something of a challenge for Liverpool to play their way through the middle of Burnley's defence.
Liverpool took a while to get into their stride, but they weathered the storm and produced the occasional sunny spell to prevail and keep the heat on Manchester City, with the assistance of some defending from Burnley that you might expect to see from a pub team that left Dyche's plan in tatters, although in all fairness to him, it wasn't a bad plan. It could've worked, but for individual errors by his defenders.
Firmino and Mané led the charge in Liverpool's fightback and they were back on level terms after 19 minutes and in front after 29 minutes. The first Liverpool goal came following Salah's fluffy to the by-line and low cross that Burnley keeper Heaton flapped at in panic-mode, taking it off the head of one of his defenders, who was all set to clear the danger. It fell to Firmino for a simple tap-in.
Mané's curling equaliser had a touch of quality about it, although the uncertainty in the Burnley defensive ranks did much to assist Liverpool's cause. Eyebrows were collectively raised around Anfield, when the home faithful saw Lallana's inclusion in the starting line-up, rather than Shaqiri, or Keita, but his overall performance and contribution to Liverpool's second goal were clear and his sliding block, as a Burnley defender tried to clear his lines, gave Mané his chance to strike.
After the half-time interval, the Burnley goalkeeper made an embarrassing spectacle of himself, once again, as his goal kick was skewed low and wide straight to Salah's feet and he ran with the ball all the way into the Burnley area, but with only the keeper to beat he appeared to receive a well-aimed kick to his shins from Taylor’s size 10s, only for the ball to break to Firmino for another tap-in. Has he ever scored two easier goals?
After applause rang-out for Peter Crouch on his return to Anfield as a Burnley player, there was to be injury-time drama and jangling nerves around the ground, as Gudmundsson finished from close-range after a pass over the Liverpool defense found him just outside the six-yard box, but all the home supporters were able to breathe a sigh of relief, when Liverpool sub Sturridge played in Mané to round the keeper and seal the win 3 minutes into stoppage time.
Liverpool failed to hit the high-notes of their recent 5-0 win over Watford, but they managed to maintain their title chase in a hard fought encounter.
Liverpool sit 1 point behind Manchester City and with City not playing another Premier League game until 30th of March, Liverpool will have the chance to return to the top of the table when they play Fulham away on Sunday 17th March.
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