Liverpool suffered their third disappointing result in the space of seven days as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Burnley this afternoon.
Jurgen Klopp's side were in need or a morale-boosting win after slipping up at home to Sevilla in the Champions League and being thrashed 5-0 by Manchester City.
However they were handed an early setback when Scott Arfield capitalised on some more weak Reds defending to put the Clarets ahead on 27 minutes.
Mohamed Salah equalised for the hosts within three minutes - his fifth goal in eight Liverpool appearances, but not even the returning Philippe Coutinho could complete the comeback despite total Reds domination.
Relive how the action unfolded with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
Hello there ladies and gents. Can Liverpool put a bad week behind them with victory over Burnley today? Let's get straight to the team news - the headline being that Philippe Coutinho starts for the Reds.
LIVERPOOL: Mignolet, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Klavan, Robertson, Milner, Can, Coutinho, Salah, Firmino, Sturridge
Subs: Karius, Wijnaldum, Lovren, Henderson, Moreno, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Solanke
BURNLEY: Pope; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Gudmundsson, Arfield, Cork, Defour, Brady; Wood
Subs: Legzdins, Long, Bardsley, Westwood, Walters, Vokes, Barnes
No Sadio Mane of course for Liverpool - he is suspended after his opinion-splitting red card against Manchester City. Daniel Sturridge is brought into the front three for his first start of the season, and Coutinho replaces Georginio Wijnaldum to give this side even more attacking electricity. Captain Jordan Henderson is also left out in favour of James Milner, so fresh legs in midfield.
Coutinho being back in the fold should help fill the Mane void. He scored seven goals in the final nine league games of last season, but will he be in the right mindset to play after his failed move from Barcelona?
There are changes again in defence by Jurgen Klopp, although one is enforced with Dejan Lovren, who played in the midweek draw with Sevilla, missing out with a sore back. Joel Matip and Ragnar Klavan is the centre-back partnership again - the same one which conceded five at the Etihad Stadium.
Alberto Moreno has resurrected his Reds career with his recent performances, but Andrew Robertson is preferred at left-back today. All of this rotation must be contributing to Liverpool's defensive problems.
A lot has been said about Liverpool's defensive frailties, but they haven't much of a problem at Anfield lately. The Reds have kept clean sheets in their last four home Premier League games.
That record has helped Liverpool go unbeaten in 27 of their last 29 home Premier League outings. Swansea and Crystal Palace are the only teams to leave Anfield with three points in that time.
The visitors are also without a key man today. England goalkeeper Tom Heaton suffered a dislocated shoulder in the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace. Nick Pope deputises - his first Premier League start.
The other change for Burnley appears to be a tactical one, with striker Sam Vokes dropping to the bench and Scott Arfield taking his place to provide the Clarets with an extra man in midfield.
Vokes's omission leaves Chris Wood as the sole striker for the visitors. The £15m signing from Leeds United is already starting to pay that money back. His two goals have earned Burnley four points already.
RESULT: It is a losing start for Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace. Steven Davis's early goal was enough for a 1-0 Southampton win. Palace are now the first team in Premier League history to lose their first five matches without scoring. The ex-England manager has a big job on his hands.
Liverpool will be relieved that Jonathan Walters is only a substitute today. He turns it on against Liverpool - seven of his 43 Premier League goals have been against the Merseysiders, including one in each fixture for Stoke in 2016-17.
James Tarkowski is looking every bit the Premier League centre-back since stepping in for the departed Michael Keane. He will have his hands full today - even without Mane this Liverpool attack can be electric.
Sturridge is Mane's replacement today. It will be interesting to see whether the injury-prone forward occupies a wide role - as he did earlier in his career at Chelsea - or is used centrally, with Roberto Firmino shifted wide.
Firmino was the hero-turned-villain in midweek as Liverpool began their Champions League campaign with a 2-2 draw with Sevilla. He scored the opening goal but later went on to hit the post with his penalty.
However, the fingers of blame certainly aren't being pointed at Liverpool's attack. It is their defence which is under the spotlight, and manager Jurgen Klopp for not strengthening that area this summer. The majority of the Kop still love the German, but there are a few whispers of doubt being heard...
Liverpool have won five of their six Premier League meetings with the Clarets, the only exception being a 2-0 defeat at Turf Moor last August where Andre Gray and Sam Vokes inflict a shock defeat on Klopp's boys.
Victory this afternoon for Sean Dyche's men would outrank that fine result, because the Clarets have not won at Anfield since beating the great Liverpool side of the 1970s, 43 years ago.
The Liverpool boys looking smart as they arrived at Anfield this afternoon...
The Reds arriving at Anfield earlier... 🔴 pic.twitter.com/bCbVGsAon5 — Liverpool FC (@LFC) September 16, 2017
Although there are only two alterations from Liverpool's last Premier League lineup, it is seven changes in total from the visit of Sevilla. Klopp has admitted rotation was necessary to handle the demands.
Klopp told Liverpool's official website: "It was about the intensity of the games and the quality of the squad. There's no doubt that the line-up we found today is a very strong one. It's a good situation."
REFEREE WATCH Roger East is the man in the middle today. Liverpool will be hoping that he does not brandish them a third red card in three games - defender Joe Gomez was sent off in midweek.
Less than 15 minutes until kickoff at Anfield. With Manchester United not in action until tomorrow, against Liverpool's other fierce rivals Everton, Klopp's boys would go level on points with United with a win.
Burnley are actually level on points with Liverpool in the table as it stands. They managed to avoid a relegation dogfight for much of last season and appear well set for another solid season, away from trouble.
Coutinho's return to the fold illustrates the challenge that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has in breaking into this Liverpool side in his favoured central midfield position. Wijnaldum is alongside him on the bench, and there is Adam Lallana to come back from injury. That's a lot of competition.
And he is no more likely to force his way in out wide with the form of Mane and Mohamed Salah, who is proving to be one of the signings of the summer. Four goals and two assists already for the Egyptian.
PREDICTION: As they will do for plenty of visitors to Anfield this season, Liverpool will have too much firepower for Burnley. I fancy the Clarets to pinch a goal, but the Reds to go on to win 3-1.
Some trivia which might give Liverpool fans some reassurance ahead of this one. They are yet to lose successive Premier League games under Klopp. However, Burnley are enjoying their best ever Premier League start.
KICKOFF: We are underway at Anfield, with Burnley in their changed white strip...
Early half chance for Sturridge. A low cross comes in from the raiding Robertson but the usually cool striker snatches at his chance and it rolls into Pope's hands. A sign of a bit of ring rust perhaps
Coutinho looks like he's never been away. He has seen plenty of the ball in these early stages but Burnley have packed the centre of the park and so far finding a way through has proved tricky.
Defour threatened to release Wood in behind, but the flag goes up against the New Zealand international. Defour is the midfielder who will be tasked with getting closest to Burnley's lone striker.
Firmino has been moved out wide to the left to accommodate Sturridge. The Brazilian won't be hugging the touchline though. Burnley will have to be very wary of him and Coutinho in the pockets.
Alexander-Arnold whips in a sensational cross behind the Burnley back four. Sturridge was a little flat-footed though and Pope can claim under little pressure. The homegrown teenager supplies more of an attacking threat from right-back than the more defensive minded Gomez.
Burnley want a foul for a shove in the back of Arfield, but Roger East waves play on. That free kick would have been in prime position for Robbie Brady, who has started very deep on the Clarets left.
Powerful charge from defence through Matip. He feeds the ball into the feet of Salah, who goes to ground as he attempts to turn away from a couple of defenders. Feint penalty appeals are waved away.
Coutinho's shot from range takes a deflection and loops over Pope's bar. The Burnley goalkeeper hasn't had much to do yet, largely because of the organised work of the two banks in front of him.
CHANCE! Sturridge drops a lovely ball onto the head of Salah at the back post, but he heads over the crossbar. Coutinho was waiting in the six-yard box, if the Egyptian could have picked him out.
Brady gets forward for the first time in the match and fizzes a cross into the near post. Wood is the only body in the box, but Ragnar Klavan followed his run and defends strongly against the Clarets striker.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 0-1 BURNLEY (SCOTT ARFIELD)
Burnley lead against the run of play thanks to Scott Arfield's first away Premier League goal! Again there will be questions over Liverpool's defending. Wood squeezes between the two centre-halfs to keep the ball alive and nobody was picking up Arfield, who finishes confidently into the bottom corner from 15 yards.
GOAL! LIVERPOOL 1-1 BURNLEY (MOHAMED SALAH)
Liverpool trail for just three minutes and it is the Kop's new favourite son who has levelled the scores. Salah makes a typical run off the right flank and his first two touches are superb; to control Emre Can's lofted pass and create room for a shot which he fires through Pope.
That is five goals in eight Liverpool appearances now for Salah. Alongside Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku, he is another player who Chelsea might regret not giving a fair opportunity to.
Good defending from Tarkowski as he gets across to quell the danger that Sturridge was causing by the right byline. Milner had slipped the striker in down the right channel, but defensive cover was on hand.
A beautiful delivery from Milner somehow evades Sturridge and the two defenders in the six-yard box and drifts behind for a goal kick. Harmless in the end, but any touch would have had Pope in trouble.
Liverpool are turning it on now. Fancy footwork from Sturridge creates room for a cross which Salah tries to knock back to Firmino, but Burnley just manage to clear. The visitors are under the cosh now.
It has been wave after wave of Liverpool attack in the last 10 minutes. Burnley need to get to half time and Sean Dyche is urging his players to hold onto the ball to give their defence some respite.
CLOSE! Half of the Kop celebrate a Sturridge shot which rustled the side netting. Pope had his near post covered well after Coutinho skilfully slipped through the Liverpool poacher.
The ball reaches Salah on another Liverpool attack. The winger cuts inside and curls a shot towards the far corner which Pope does well to hold on his knees. Salah is in the mood today but has twice shot when finding a teammate may have been a better option.
Three minutes of stoppage time shown on the board by the fourth official...
A low shot from Sturridge calls Pope into action again. Even in the final minute of the first half, Liverpool had six players in the opposition box there. They are a nightmare to defend against in full flow.
Firmino's stepovers help him wriggle away from Defour but Ben Mee's body is in the way to block the shot from Liverpool's number nine. That should see Burnley safely through to the break.
HALF TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-1 BURNLEY
The half-time whistle comes at the wrong time for Liverpool. They had recovered well from their early setback and were starting to lay siege to the Burnley goal in the latter stages of that half.
It is too easy to score against this Reds team, though, and Scott Arfield showed that on 27 minutes. Chris Wood bullied the two Liverpool centre-backs to tee up Arfield, and it was a good take from the Canadian on the half volley. No Liverpool midfielder had tracked his run.
Thankfully for Jurgen Klopp, his attack is red hot - Mohamed Salah in particular. The Egyptian bagged his fifth goal in eight Liverpool games - a great touch and finish from Emre Can's lofted pass.
STATS: No surprise to see that Liverpool have had 70% of possession. They have managed 15 shots to Burnley's two - five of which have been on target. This game is following a similar pattern to the Sevilla match in midweek. This time the Reds need to kill this game off early in the second period.
BENCH WATCH: If the game remains level for 15-20 minutes, we could see Oxlade-Chamberlain or young striker Dominic Solanke off the bench for the Reds. If they take the lead, Klopp could hook Sturridge and reinforce his midfield with Henderson. That's not really in his nature, though, is it?
Burnley get us back underway, with both sides unchanged for now...
That would have been special from Sturridge. He dribbles past a couple of Burnley defenders on the edge of the box and tries to chip Pope from 22 yards, but there was enough dip on the speculative effort.
Brilliant play from Coutinho, whose close control and balance is a joy to watch as he leaves three Burnley players behind him. Unfortunately his shot leaves a lot to be desired, high and wide from 30 yards.
It has been more of the same since the break. Liverpool are attacking at will and it seems a matter of time until they unlock the Burnley defence. Coutinho shoots over again, this time on his left foot.
SHOT! Can, who scored against Burnley last season, creates room for himself to shoot with a clever dummy. He stings the hands of Pope, whose parry is cleared before a red shirt can pounce.
YELLOW: Pope is booked for taking too much time with his goal kick. A bit early for those sort of games from Burnley. Instead they need to focus on keeping the ball and giving Wood some support.
Milner drags an ugly shot wide after Coutinho had picked him out with a fine pass. Most of Liverpool's second-half shots have been from outside the box. Burnley's back four is not easily breached.
SAVE! Pope spills a corner which Lowton hooks clear. But Liverpool come again and the Burnley goalkeeper looks more assured this time as he dives to push Sturridge's low piledriver away.
SUBSTITUTION: Ashley Barnes is on for Burnley which should give Wood some company up front. Gudmundsson, who never really got involved in the game, is the midfielder sacrificed.
Liverpool continue to look very dangerous around the Burnley box. A beautifully-worked move involving Firmino and Sturridge sets up Milner for a volley which is blocked by Tarkowski at point-blank range.
An undercooked back-header from Ward nearly lets Salah in, but Pope races out of his goal to relieve the pressure. Salah kept his feet well and truly down there, after the Mane debacle from last week.
A set piece gives Burnley a rare opportunity to put the ball into the Liverpool box. The second ball falls to Tarkowski who lets the ball roll behind, only for the assistant referee to signal a goal kick.
Liverpool are throwing everything at Burnley here. Milner gets to the byline and dinks a cross to the far post, where Can heads onto the roof of the net. When will Klopp turn to his substitutes?
If Burnley do see this out, it will have been an immense effort from their defenders. Coutinho's cross from a short corner is into a crowded box and it is Ben Mee who climbs highest to head clear.
The Clarets are pushing a few more numbers forward themselves. Some good hold-up play from Barnes sets up Brady for a shot from range which Simon Mignolet catches at the second attempt.
Coutinho has just found the second tier with his latest long-distance effort. Somebody get Barcelona on the phone to see if that offer is still on the table...
SUBSTITUTIONS: Double change from Klopp. Firmino and Coutinho are off with Oxlade-Chamberlain and Solanke on; Brazilian flair for English youth. Milner was going to come off instead of Coutinho, but the playmaker was really blowing and signalled to the bench that his race was run.
CHANCES! Burnley twice go closer! From successive corners, Brady knocks the ball deep and Mee wins the header. The first effort is cleared off the line by Matip, and the second saved by Mignolet. This would be a massive blow to Klopp if the Clarets not only draw, but snatch a winner.
SAVE! Alexander-Arnold meets a deep cross on the volley with his left foot and the save is made tricker for Pope as the ball takes a couple of deflections on the way through. Time running out...
WOODWORK! Solanke strikes the crossbar! Young Trent is Liverpool's best attacking outlet at the moment and combines with Salah before crossing low for the substitute, who turns the ball against the woodwork. Maybe it is going to be one of those afternoons for Jurgen Klopp's charges...
SUBSTITUTIONS: Dyche tries to kill some time with two late changes. Vokes and Ashley Westwood are on for Wood and Defour.
FOUR minutes of stoppage time. Time for late drama or can Burnley hang on?
Alexander-Arnold knocks his cross out of play and that could be that for Liverpool's chances of getting a winner. They haven't looked as likely since Coutinho and Firmino went off 15 minutes ago.
FULL TIME: LIVERPOOL 1-1 BURNLEY
A disappointing week for Liverpool goes from bad to worse. Despite dominating Burnley for the entire match, their attack was not ruthless enough and their defence let them down when needed. A familiar tale.
Coutinho was back and provided the home side with some magic, but Sadio Mane was missed in attack as the Reds failed to kill off their brave opponents, who remain a place above Liverpool in sixth.
That's it from our coverage from Anfield. Read our match report on the action here, and catch up on the rest of Saturday's results here. Please stay with Sports Mole for coverage of Spurs v Swansea!
Written by
Joe Fish
Joe Fish
