Burnley 0-2 Liverpool: Dogged Clarets push Jurgen Klopp's men all the way in narrow Boxing Day defeat

It looked like it could be a long evening for the Clarets when Darwin Nunez gave the visitors the lead after just six minutes with a clinical finish.

The rest of the first-half was a tough watch from a Burnley point of view, with the visitors creating chance after chance – some through their own guile, at other times as a result of hasty and nervy defending. But James Trafford came to their aid with a string of fine saves to keep them in the game.

Trailing by just one, the Clarets always stood a chance of nicking a point and they arguably should have got one, but were left to rue poor misses by substitutes Johann Gudmundsson and Jacob Bruun Larsen.

Liverpool inevitably put the game to bed in the final minute of normal time through Diogo Jota to condemn Burnley to another home defeat, their 10th in 11 games.

It means Burnley remain 19th in the table, but with other sides around them winning they’re now five points adrift of safety.

Kompany made just one change to his side from the 2-0 win at Fulham, with Mike Tresor coming in for Jacob Bruun Larsen.

Johann Gudmundsson and Aaron Ramsey, who have both been missing with knocks in recent weeks, returned to the bench, but Jack Cork and Luca Koleosho both remain sidelined.

As for Liverpool, they made five changes to the side that drew 1-1 with Arsenal.

Ryan Gravenberch, Harvey Elliott and Darwin Nunez were among those to be drafted into the starting XI.

The game’s first chance came from one of those replacements, with Elliott giving James Trafford an early tester with a low effort, which the Burnley stopper was equal to.

Burnley hit back with a good early chance of their own as they broke with four-vs-three, but Zeki Amdouni opted to go alone but ended up firing wastefully wide from a central position.

The hosts were made to pay for that miss in ruthless fashion when, with only five minutes on the clock, Darwin Nunez opened the scoring for Liverpool with a clinical finish into the far corner from the edge of the Burnley box.

The visitors instantly hunted down further goals and nearly got them too. Gravenberch had a deflected shot saved by Trafford, who again came to Burnley’s rescue by tipping Mo Salah’s clever first-time effort over the bar.

Cody Gakpo, who claimed the assist for Nunez’s goal, almost got in on the act himself after Vitinho failed to deal with a ball over the top, but the Dutchman could only skew wide.

The lively start to the game continued with Burnley coming within a whisker again, this time skipper Josh Brownhill curling just wide from 25 yards out.

Burnley played themselves into trouble when Jordan Beyer passed the ball straight to Gravenberch in his own box. The ball subsequently fell to Nunez but thankfully for the Clarets he made a hash of things and the hosts somehow avoided going two down.

Defensively Kompany’s men continued to look so nervy, with Trafford forced to thwart Gakpo from close range after Burnley had once again caused their own problems.

Liverpool had the ball in the back of the net for a second time just before the half-hour mark through Gakpo, but it was ruled out for a foul on Charlie Taylor in the build-up. VAR checked and Paul Tierney’s decision stood.

Seconds before that, Trafford had been forced into making another important stop, this time to deny Nunez, after yet more hasty defending, this time from Vitinho.

The chances still came and came, this time Salah wasting a golden opportunity after being fed in behind Beyer, but this time it was the woodwork that came to Burnley’s aid, with his dipping volley clipping the crossbar.

Trafford, the busiest player on the pitch by a stretch, was forced into making another save five minutes before the interval, tipping Wataru Endo’s low shot around the post.

Two minutes later, another save followed, this time getting down to his right to parry Salah’s shot from the angle away from goal.

Burnley were given a major let-off at the start of the second-half when Liverpool had a second goal ruled out for offside.

Harvey Elliott was the man to slot home from 10 yards out, with no Burnley shirt near him. But after being instructed to check the monitor, referee Paul Tierney disallowed the goal due to Salah, who was standing right in front of Trafford, adjudged to have been interfering.

The moment galvanised the home fans, as did a big last-ditch tackle from Charlie Taylor just as Salad looked to be in on goal.

The hosts almost capitalised, with Jordan Beyer almost forcing the ball home from close range after Dara O’Shea had flicked a corner into his path.

Burnley sensed there could be something in the game for them, with Sander Berge dragging a shot wide after van Dijk’s headed clearance landed to him inside the box.

A huge, huge chance to level matters was squandered in the 68th minute in Burnley’s best moment of the game.

It followed some delightful wing play from Wilson Odobert, who glided past Trent Alexander-Arnold like he wasn’t there before putting the ball on a plate for substitute Johann Gudmundsson, who headed over at the back stick.

While there was still only one goal in it, Burnley had a chance. But that lead was almost doubled when sub Dominik Szoboszlai somehow managed to miss the target at the back post, directing the ball back into the six-yard box rather than towards goal.

With just over 10 minutes remaining, Odobert caused yet more problems for Alexander-Arnold, cutting inside from the left before skewing wide under pressure from two Liverpool men.

The full-back, who is undoubtedly a hugely talented player going forwards but not the best defensively, could have put the game to bed late on when he volleyed a whisker wide from 25 yards out, with Trafford at full stretch.

Burnley needed just one more chance and they got it in the 87th minute when a poor pass out from the back landed at the feet of substitute Jacob Bruun Larsen.

With Alisson off his line and not in position, the winger opted to shoot early and dragged his powerful low effort just wide of the upright.

Liverpool instantly countered and went close themselves, with Luis Diaz denied by another Trafford save, this time with his legs.

With the game opening up during the dying stages, it was inevitable Liverpool would get more opportunities on the break.

So they did and they took full advantage, Diogo Jota adding a second with a low drilled finish to put the game to bed for good.

TEAMS

Burnley: Trafford, Vitinho, O’Shea, Beyer, Taylor, Brownhill (Ramsey), Berge, Tresor (Gudmundsson), Odobert, Amdouni (Bruun Larsen), Foster (Redmond)

Subs not used: Muric, Delcroix, Roberts, Cullen, Rodriguez

Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, van Dijk, Quansah, Gomez, Endo, Gravenberch (Jones), Elliott (Diaz), Gakpo (Szoboszlai), Salah, Nunez (Jota)

Subs not used: Kelleher, Konate, Chambers, McConnell, Bradley

Referee: Paul Tierney