After the highs of opening weekend in the capital, Liverpool faltered to equal lows at Turf Moor. This match was a fun house mirror of the first, comically warped images and all, as the Reds fell 2-0 to Burnley.
The rollercoaster ride continued, only this time Liverpool dove to an early low. Gifting the hosts an early lead in the second minute upended any plan Jurgen Klopp may have given his team. The Clarets predictably dropped into two deep banks of four and dared Liverpool to break them down.
Liverpool’s lack of answers to unlocking the solid defence summoned so many familiar concerns of inconsistency and no cutting edge. Not quite leading the line, Daniel Sturridge struggled to impact proceedings in his first start. The striker continually dropped into the midfield to get on the ball and even shared some responsibility in surrendering the second goal. His loss of possession started the counterattack that all but sealed the win for Burnley before the half.
Despite a brief spell of urgency in the second half, all of Liverpool’s possession amounted to little. Burnley’s graft forced errors and reduced the Reds to long-range efforts of little consequence. This emphatic crash back to Earth leaves Liverpool hoping it is not a preview of more things to come.
Here are my four findings:
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