Arne Slot’s side maintain 100 per cent start with their fourth late winner in four games<\/p>\n
Mohamed Salah slammed home a stoppage-time penalty as a below-par Liverpool<\/a> carved out a 1-0 victory over 10-man Burnley<\/a> at Turf Moor.<\/p>\n A stubborn Burnley rearguard looked set to hold out for a point against the Premier League champions on Sunday, even when Lesley Ugochukwu<\/a> was sent off after picking up a second yellow card.<\/p>\n Yet Liverpool, who were without British record signing Alexander Isak<\/a> as he was left out of Arne Slot\u2019s squad, found a way to win it in the fifth minute of stoppage time.<\/p>\n Jeremie Frimpong<\/a>\u2019s cross was blocked by Hannibal Mejbri<\/a>\u2019s outstretched arm, giving referee Michael Oliver little choice but to point to the spot.<\/p>\n Salah<\/a> coolly fired home to win it, sending Liverpool back above Arsenal<\/a> at the top of the standings on maximum points, while Burnley sit in 17th.\u00a0<\/p>\n How the match unfolded<\/p>\n Jaidon Anthony<\/a>, having scored in back-to-back games, caused Liverpool problems down the left flank, nearly scoring with a speculative effort that sailed just over in the seventh minute.<\/p>\n Liverpool left-back Milos Kerkez<\/a> struggled early on, having been booked for simulation in the 22nd minute. He was surprisingly withdrawn by Slot before half-time, with Andy Robertson<\/a> brought on.<\/p>\n Robertson had an attempt shortly after his introduction, while the Reds also failed to capitalise on crosses flashed across the goalmouth by Florian Wirtz<\/a> and Hugo Ekitike<\/a>.<\/p>\n With Alexis Mac Allister<\/a> swapped for Conor Bradley<\/a> at half-time, Liverpool emerged from the interval looking sharper as they began to stretch Burnley, with Dominik Szoboszlai<\/a> seeing his goal-bound strike palmed away by the outstretched gloves of Martin Dubravka<\/a>.<\/p>\n Liverpool saw substitute Federico Chiesa<\/a> come close, and their cause was helped when Ugochukwu received his second booking after sliding in on Wirtz.<\/p>\n The three points nevertheless had to be secured from the penalty spot, as Salah powerfully drilled in following Hannibal\u2019s blunder.<\/p>\n Burnley breached at the death<\/p>\n It is now two games in a row, against two of the Premier League\u2019s biggest teams, that Burnley have come desperately close to earning a point, only to concede an agonising stoppage-time penalty.<\/p>\n It happened against Manchester United<\/a> at Old Trafford prior to the international break, and on Sunday it was a similar outcome.<\/p>\n However, in Liverpool \u2013 a side the Clarets had lost six consecutive home games to \u2013 they were facing a different beast altogether than that of Ruben Amorim\u2019s team.<\/p>\n Having built a promotion-winning team on the back of a defence that conceded just 16 goals during the 2024\/25 season, that steel was on show from Scott Parker\u2019s team here.<\/p>\n Maxime Esteve<\/a> \u2013 a key member of the Burnley’s promotion-winning side \u2013 was central to the home side’s valiant defensive efforts, as his smothering presence negated Liverpool\u2019s attacking threat. The centre-back successfully contained both Salah and Ekitike for large swathes of the match.<\/p>\n Even after Ugochukwu was dismissed in the 84th minute, \u00a0Burnley\u2019s defensive display deserved a point, but Hannibal\u2019s mispositioned arm was their ultimate undoing.<\/p>\n While this defeat means Parker\u2019s side were unable to extend their unbeaten home record, they will be hoping they can get back on track in front of the Turf Moor faithful next weekend as they host Ange Postecoglou\u2019s Nottingham Forest<\/a>.<\/p>\n Frustrated Liverpool leave it late again<\/p>\n Two weeks after a spectacular 83rd-minute Szoboszlai free-kick gave the Reds a 1-0 win over title-rivals Arsenal, Liverpool were back in action, and back to leaving it late once more.<\/p>\n The Reds looked set to fail to score in the league for the first time in exactly a year, since they were beaten 1-0 at home by Forest.<\/p>\n Instead, they found a way to take three points away from Turf Moor, and have now won their opening four Premier League matches for only the third time, having previously done so in 2018\/19 and 2019\/20 \u2013 their title-winning campaign.<\/p>\n Despite racking up eight goals across their opening three games, Liverpool were surprisingly toothless in attacking areas at times, as they struggled to create many clear-cut chances.<\/p>\n With Isak now in the mix, Liverpool boast an embarrassment of riches in forward areas, and at times on Sunday, Slot may have wished he had called on him sooner than planned, despite his clear reluctance to throw the Swede in at the deep end.<\/p>\n However, as they have done in every game so far this season, Liverpool persevered until the very end, and their efforts paid dividends.<\/p>\n Liverpool, who are yet to truly get out of first gear this season, face a tough week ahead as they host Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, followed by Everton<\/a> in the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Saturday.\u00a0<\/p>\n Club reports<\/p>\n