Liverpool picked up a much-needed win in the Premier League this afternoon by seeing off Burnley 1-0 in a scrappy affair at Turf Moor.

The Clarets had the better of the first half, and they came close to making the breakthrough inside the opening 15 minutes when Danny Ings struck the post with his effort.

However, Raheem Sterling made the home side pay for their profligacy just after the hour when he latched on to Phillipe Coutinho's through-ball and duly converted to score the only goal of the contest.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look back at how the 90 minutes of action unfolded in Lancashire.

Match statistics

BURNLEY
Shots: 12
On target: 0
Possession: 48%
Corners: 8
Fouls: 7

LIVERPOOL
Shots: 5
On target: 3
Possession: 52%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 5

Was the result fair?

Having failed to get out of first gear for the duration of this afternoon's match, Liverpool will be delighted to leave Turf Moor with the slenderest of victories - their first in four top-flight outings. It was sloppy and at times ugly, but the Reds did just about enough to edge ahead and subsequently hold onto their advantage to claim three vital points to climb back up the Premier League table and in contention for a top-four spot.

The Clarets dominated the first half, although having failed to make the most of their openings they were duly punished by Sterling, who needed just one sight of goal to bag the game's only goal. Sean Dyche will argue that his side deserved a share of the spoils today, and in terms of possession and shots attempted he has a fair point, yet in the end his side's profligacy once more proved to be their downfall with only Leicester City below them in the league standings.

Burnley's performance

A fine first-half showing was not capped off with a goal, and in the end that proved to be Burnley's downfall. Even after the restart they came out positive in search of an opener, but when they fell behind it was a case of firing away shots without creating a great deal. Statistics can often be misleading, although in this case they are quite telling - 12 shots across the 90 minutes, none of which were on target. That is best explained by Liverpool allowing Burnley acres of space around the area on countless occasions, and it almost proved costly for the Reds when Ings struck a decent shot which came back off the post.

Scott Arfield caused danger is his free roaming role in the centre, while Ashley Barnes and George Boyd looked to aid Ings in attack. This result may be one of disappointment for home supporters, particularly with their opponents looking so poor for large parts, although there was some positive news as Sam Vokes was introduced for his first appearance since March. The sooner he gets up and running the better, because Burnley simply need to score more goals. Only Aston Villa (11) have scored fewer than Burnley's 12, which is telling when you look at the table.

Liverpool's performance

Not a result or performance that will live long in the memory of Liverpool's travelling army of supporters in Lancashire, although it could prove to be three very important points. Since the low point of being knocked out of the Champions League earlier this month, Brendan Rodgers's charges have certainly improved thanks in no small part to a change in system, although the results have proved to be equally hard to come by.

While they played well against Arsenal and likewise in spells against Manchester United with just a point from both games combined to show for their hard work, this was more of a classic smash-and-grab victory to an extent. At least it was up until the point Sterling tucked away his chance, with the Clarets the better side up until that point. From then on in Liverpool remained composed, though, without creating any real chances of their own. Far better is needed if they are to finish in the top four, but this result gives supporters some hope at least.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Raheem Sterling: It was his goal that won the game in the end, which was well taken under the circumstances. He had little to feed off for the first hour, but Coutinho's hopeful ball into his path was latched on to as he rounded Tom Heaton to make it 1-0. He has scored three in three since being moved into a more attacking role, and has now been directly involved in over 36% of his side's goals this campaign - not bad for a player seemingly underperforming.

Biggest gaffe

Simon Mignolet was given a chance to impress this afternoon after being introduced in place of the injured Brad Jones early on, but the Belgian keeper - who was "indefinitely" dropped by Rodgers a couple of weeks ago - looked completely drained of any confidence. A case in point being in the second half when he let a pass back to him roll and roll before it eventually went out of play. He was under no real pressure, and the mistake almost cost him with Michael Keane heading the resulting corner into the side-netting.

Referee performance

This was hardly a busy afternoon for Anthony Taylor, who tried to let the game run at all times. Dished out just one yellow card throughout the contest when Lucas Leiva cynically brought down Arfield.

What next?

Burnley: Dyche takes his side to the Etihad Stadium next time out for a daunting looking trip to face champions Manchester City.

Liverpool: Rodgers comes up against his former side on Monday night with Swansea City the visitors to Anfield.