Will Unwin’s report has just landed so I’ll sign off with that. Thanks for keeping me company. Hope you all close out 2023 with smiles on your face (no matter your views on VAR).
Unsurprisingly, Klopp doesn’t think Elliot’s goal should have been disallowed.
“Only someone who has never played football could say it’s not a goal”
I’m not sure about that comment but I do agree that the goal should have stood. Salah was clearly pushed into an off-side position. Besides, Trafford wasn’t getting there.
Up next, it’s Jurgen Klopp with a big smile on his face:
What is really the Liverpool way? It looks like we throw hurdles in front of us and then eventually find a way of coming over it. We played an incredible game and it was only 1-0. They could have scored an equaliser. Then with the most difficult situation of the game, Diogo Jota scores an incredible goal.
Watara Endo could have been player of the match. Without him the game might have been very strange.
We’re creating a lot of chances. It’s out fourth game in 10 days. We just have to get through it. We have five days between now and the next game which means we should maybe go on holiday.
Here’s the player of the match, Virgil van Dijk:
It was very important to get three points here. It was a very intense night. I think we did very well. There was a bit of chaos after the goal that was disallowed. But very pleased with the performance.
I don’t think there was a lot of luck. They [Burnley] played with confidence so we had to be good, and we were good.
[Quansah] is a fantastic talent, up and coming. It’s nice to see. If I can help him I’ll be very pleased.
[On Nunez] As a striker if you don’t score it could get in your head. But I don’t see that from the guys. Cody was fantastic, Diogo comes in with a goal. We have a hunger in the team.
[Being top of the league] It’s December so we won’t get too far ahead. But I’m very pleased as it’s the last game on the year. We can spend some time with family and then we’ll focus on Newcaslte. But let’s see where we are in May.
Burnley remain second bottom. They’ve lost nine of their 10 games at home this season. Brilliant going forward but without a cutting edge. Panicky at the back. Some boos from the home fans. Must be so frustrating supporting them at the minute. They weren’t terrible. But they got the result they deserved.
Full-time: Burnley 0-2 Liverpool
One in the 9th minute, another four times from the end, but Liverpool got it done. Top of the league with another win on Boxing Day.
“Jota comes back from injury with a goal! Really need him, with Salah off to Afcon.”
Right you are Simon Hart. If Egypt go all the way Salah will miss seven games at least. Klopp, though, has plenty of options up front.
90+4 min: Van Dijk gets the official player of the match award. If it stayed 1-0 then perhaps Trafford would have got it. But big Virgil was faultless again so no complaints from me.
90+3 min: Salah twice tries to find Jota at the back post and twice he’s denied. “Liverpool top of the league” rings out from the away section at Turf Moor. Berger at the back post for Burnley can’t keep a header down.
O’Shea is also booked for that tackle on Endo in the build-up to Jota’s goal. Oh, that’s also 50 Liverpool goals for Jota who reached the milestone with his first attempt.
GOAL! Burnley 0-2 Liverpool (Jota 90+1)
One chance. One goal. Liverpool wrap it up. Slick from Liverpool. O’Shea rushes out to make a tackle on Endo but he’s beaten to it. That creates the space and Liverpool move it down the left and into the box. Diaz has the ball and tries to work the space to shoot. He can’t and instead taps it for Jota on the overlap behind him. One touch and from an acute angle he smashes it low past Trafford. It’s come late, but it’s finally come. Game over.
Updated
90 min: Five added minutes. Liverpool won’t mind that. Van Dijk rises at a corner but balloons his header wide. Burnley are pressing high up the pitch.
88 min: This is becoming a basketball game. Trafford now saves low with his feet. What would the score be without Burnley’s young keeper? He’s having a terrific game. I’d still give him player of the match no matter what happens from here.
87 min: Larsen almost scores! Endo’s ball is a shocker. Inside his own half, he plays it straight to Larsen who moves a few metres forward before shooting with his right. He’s aiming for the far corner and almost finds it. Alisson as well beaten.
Updated
86 mins: Liverpool just about get around Burnley’s high press and move the ball into space down the left. Burnley get enough bodies behind the ball and Alexander-Arnold, into midfield, unleashes a cutting shot on the bounce across the face of Trafford’s goal. The ‘keeper was scrambling, but the spin on the shot meant it was always drifting wide.
84 min: That’s another good run from Odebert. If only he saw more of the ball in this game.
Nunez the goalscorer is hooked for Jota.
Burnley also make a switch. It’s a double. Redmond and Larsen replace Amdouni and Foster who at most had three touches of the ball.
82 min: Szoboszlai thunders a shot from range after collecting the ball in midfield. Trafford’s show stopping dive suggests the ball was close to the top corner but it was about five metres wide at least. Still, a couple of opportunities for the photographers on the touchline.
81 min: Amdouni does brilliantly to steal the ball on the half-way line. He bursts forward. Runners towards the box. Taylor on his outside. He chooses the fullback but it’s a terrible pass and the counter attack fizzles to nothing. I tell you what. I can see Burnley nick a goal. Liverpool have not managed this game well.
79 min: What a mazy run from Odebert. He skips round one, bursts past another and then stands up a third. He’s into the box. Can he show composure? No. A meek toe-poke sees the ball squirt wide of the post. Better though. More of that please Burnley.
78 min: Brownhill’s free kick from deep is a good one but not a single Burnley player made the necessary run. So it dribbles for a goal-kick.
77 min: Alexander-Arnold’s first attempt doesn’t beat the solitary man in the wall. He gets another chance on his left foot and curls one to the back post. The header back has a few Liverpool men interested but Trafford – Burnley’s best player by a distance tonight – snatches it.
Alexander-Arnold is booked for a lunging foul as Burnley break.
Updated
75 min: Slow and steady again from Liverpool. That is until Salah has the ball on the right. He drops a shoulder, draws the tackler and then slides a ball against the grain for Nunez. The striker is moving away from goal but still manages to win a free-kick outside the box. Alexander-Arnold to deliver from wide.
73 min: Oh wow, Szoboszlai has turned the ball AWAY from goal. A wonderful cross from Alexander-Arnold from the right finds Jones at the back post who heads it towards goal. Szoboszlai lifts a leg but rather divert it to the net, he hooks it backwards. A tough chance, but a chance for Liverpool. A word for Nunez in the build up. He’s been great tonight.
71 min: And that’s exactly what Liverpool are now doing. Passes across the back four and then to Alisson – who punts it straight out – does slow the game down. A solitary ‘booo’ rings out. Burnley need to keep their foot on the gas.
69 min: Liverpool under seige! A desperate tackle at the near post prevents the cross but it’s all Burnley now. They have 11 men defending this corner that ends with an ungainly shot from Taylor that goes out for a goal-kick. Liverpool need to slow things down and quiet the crowd.
68 min: Should be 1-1. How has Gudmundsson missed at the back post? Brilliant from Odobert on the left. Step-overs, turn of pace and then a wicked ball across the face of the goal. Gudmundsson rises but the ball hits his head and bounces over the bar. They might not get a better chance.
66 min: Big chance for Burnley. Berger steals in and gets on to a van Dijk header. The snatched shot dfrom the dge of the area dribbles wide.
Triple sub for Liverpool:
Gakpo, Elliot and Gravenbach are off. Diaz, Jones and Szoboszlai are on.
65 min: Gudmundsson replaces Tresor (or at least he did five minutes ago). Liverpool are preparing a triple switch. Taylor now again in an advanced position. Burnley have been the better team after the goal was chalked off. Momentum, eh?
63 min: Taylor, who has barely moved past the half-way line, finally has a chance to cross. It’s wild and wide. But it’s a positive sign that Burnley have managed to get their left-back in an advanced position. Burnley’s line has shifted about five metres up the pitch.
62 min: I’m getting a few messages on the disallowed goal. Both Colin Davenport and Declan O’Brien have pointed out that Salah might have been pushed in the back and into an offside position. Again, I think that’s beside the point. I don’t think Trafford is reaching Elliot’s shot either way. So I’m with you Liverpool fans. I believe the goal should have stood.
60 min: Trafford is now showing off. He sprints off his line to sweep up a loose ball and shows a touch of class with a wonderful bit of skill to open the space for himself.
59 min: Burnley almost pinch one. A header at the near post from a corner is deflected off Nunez and loops over the bar. That could have gone anywhere. Shows how precarious a 1-0 lead is.
58 mins: For the first time the Burnley fans have raised their voice above a mumble. That’s given them a lift. But they’re scrambling at the back as Salah’s marauding run into the box is cut short with a great sliding tackle from Beyer (I think). Then Burnley counter and win a corner. Game’s suddenly exploded into life.
NO-GOAL! Burnley 0-1 Liverpool
VAR comes to Burnley’s rescue. Salah was definitely in front of Trafford but I don’t think it would have made a difference. Elliot squeezed that shot from close in against the post and I don’t think Trafford – as good as he is – would have got there.
Updated
Hang on. They’re checking this. Salah might have been in front of Trafford as the shot came in. I think this will be scrapped from the record.
GOAL! Burnley 0-2 Liverpool (Elliot 55)
That was coming! Elliot with a lovely side-footer into the corner. Patience pays off. Slow build up until Gakpo inside the Burnley box has space. A short pass back into a dangerous area finds Elliot and his first time pass finds the net.
Updated
54 mins: Gomez skips around a defender on the left and hoists a ball into the box. It’s not a very good delivery and is easily dealt with. Still, sharp work from Gomez to find the space. Alexander-Arnold has moved into midfield. Salah tries to thread the needle but the pass is blocked. Elliot recycles and they’re back on the move with Endo ticking it along. Burnley holding firm for now.
52 min: We’re seven minutes into the second half and I think Burnley have touched the ball for a grand total of 17 seconds. All Liverpool. But it’s all from deep. No thrusting runs or jinking moves, Yet. Feels like a predator coiling.
51 min: Burnley get a rare moment to reflect as Nunez commits a foul in midfield as Burnley were breaking.
“Old Trafford may leak like a colander these days, but on the basis of that first half, young Trafford looks like a safe pair of hands. He’s all that seems to be standing in the way of a Boxing Day KO for Klopp’s men.”
Very good, Justin Kavanagh.
49 min: Salah receives a pass on the right. Nunez has it but Tressor wins it back. The crowd lifts and then they’re groaning as Burnley immediately lose the ball. Strong pressing from Liverpool but that’s a consequence of a lack of sharpness and urgency from Burnley as well. Alexander-Arnold moves into midfield and crosses from deep. Not quite this time. Out for a throw.
47 min: A slow start to the second half but we’ve already seen Trafford arrow a 40 yard pass right to the feet of Odebert on the flank. My goodness, this young keeper is something.
“I realise a comment like this marks you as hurtling into the grey depths of middle age (or beyond) but dear God, that Burnley keeper looks like he should be doing his mock GCSEs this year. Or whatever it is the young people are into nowadays.”
I’m with you, Graeme Neill.
We’re back. More goals or more frustration for Liverpool. Anything other than a comofrtable win from here will no doubt infuriate their manager. And, with apologies to Liverpool fans, that would be quite fun. Away we go.
“Hi Daniel, Boxing Day salutations to you. How are you?
”I’ve been called many things, pedant among them. Nonetheless it drives me to distraction when pundits describe a shot that does not result in a goal as a ‘finish’. By definition it’s NOT a finish, it’s a shot.
”Ya hear me?”
I hear you David Bowen. And I heard it on the comms and it bothered me as well.
And thank you, all good this side. Salutations to you and yours as well.
“Hi Daniel”
Hey Peter Oh. Merry merry to you and yours.
“In my view, Joe Gomez has done commendably well in the various challenging roles has been asked to fill recently. He deserves a goal and when it does come, may I be among the first to proclaim the era of Joe Goal-mez?”
Let the record show that if Gomez breaks his duck tonight, and thereby launches the era of Jo Goal-mez, that Peter Oh was the first to name it.
This is part of a longer message from Jeremy Boyce. It was sent before the game kicked off and so far he’s mostly spot on.
“Vince is a cool guy and he needs some breaks. Given their injury list JK will obviously hoping for no breaks. Obviously it’s a gritty but entertaining 1 - 1, or a thrilling rampant 0 - 5 for the Reds. Isn’t it?”
The point on Kompany needing a break is an interesting one. I haven’t watched enough of Burnley to say if they’ve been unlucky but they’ve certainly had a bit of good fortune tonight. A disallowed goal that could have stood, Salah hit the post and Trafford pulled off a spectacular save. So, yes, it could already be 0-3, 0-4 or even 0-5. But it might all end with a gritty draw. How’s that for expert analysis?
“I don’t have any UK-recognised medical qualifications, but I think describing Tsimikas’s broken collar bone as ‘a knock’ is admirably old school. Do you think he should just run it off? Is his non-selection health and safety gone mad?”
Does that mean you have a medical qualification from somewhere else, Paul Griffin? But yes, of course you’re right. Perhaps I somewhat downplayed a the ‘knock’. Or he could try rubbing some dirt on it?
You read my mind, Colum Fordham:
“Hi Daniel, If a front three can’t be paired, perhaps they could be trio-ed? Quite pleased with the way Liverpool are stroking the ball around, and particularly chuffed that Darwin Nunez has had such a positive first half, both in terms of finishing and passes. Also Joe Gomez is playing well on the left.
Could you send season’s greetings to two other Liverpool fans? My friend Andy in Liverpool and my brother Kit?
Cheers for the fun blog”
You’re right. Gomez has played well. But still wanting more from him. If Gakpo can find him, he’ll cause some problems.
“Rob Moore’s comment has me thinking about collective nouns for footballers: Perhaps a front three could be known as a “tripe”? Although that seems a bit harsh on such a talented trio as Salah - Gakpo -Nunez. Then, if they all fail to score for, say, two games in a row, they could be referred to as “offal.”
Maybe they’ve been trio-oed together, Justin Kavanagh?
“I think you could probably say that Salah, Gakpo and Nunez are partnered up front. Admittedly, that does make them sound a bit like a throuple.”
Nothing hotter than a front three up front, eh Kári Tulinius?
Half-time: Burnley 0-1 Liverpool
It could (should) be more, but Burnley are still in this. Mostly thanks to Trafford who has pulled out some wonderful saves. Liverpool have been good but have lacked a little cutting edge in the final third. Praise for Gakpo and Salah, as well as Elliot in midfield. Can Burnley secure things at the back and nick a point?
45+1 min: Just the two minutes of added time. Elliot puts in a stiff challenge and forces Burnley back.
44 min: A wonderful diagonal finds Gakpo and he cuts inside. This time Burnley make the tackle but once again make a proper mess of clearing it away. I think that was Alexander-Arnold with the ball out wide from his own half. It was simply delicious whoever it was. Gakpo has looked dangerous shifting the ball back infield. Gomez needs to start getting in behind down that channel to offer width. Gakpo’s only option has been to shoot or shift it right and it seems Burnley are catching on.
42 min: Trafford saves from Salah. Gakpo is causing havoc when he cuts inside. The ball is worked to Salah inside the box and he opens his body and shoots. You’d expect him to find the back if the bet but instead finds Trafford’s stiff hands. Salah attempts another bite but the danger is snuffed out again. Burnley are hanging on.
41 min: More pressure on the Burnley box. Gomez collects the loose ball from the corner, takes a slick touch and then laces a shot. It’s deflected for another corner which eventually ends in Trafford’s gloved hands.
40 min: Another good save from Trafford. This time from Endo as his left footed grubber from outside the box is tipped round the corner and out for a corner.
39 min: Alexander-Arnold had to be sharp to snuff out a chance on Liverpool’s right. Burnley broke and played it to their left. It was momentarily a loose ball but the extra pace from the Liverpool full-back meant the chance was gone before it materialised. Again, Burnley look so composed with the ball. How are they so frightened without it?
37 min: Liverpool no showing patience in midfeild. Endo playing short passes but he’s crowded out. Gomez wins it back and then puts it in the box with his left foot. He can’t find a teammate but that was encouraging from the make-shift left back.
“If I were Alexander-Arnold being spoken to by the ref over delayed throw-ins, I’d ask, ‘Have you seen how this game is going? Do you think we need to waste time?’
Indeed, Matt Dony. But why is he wasting time then? Anyway, no cards for Trent. Just a telling off.
35: Slick football from Burnley releases Vitinho on an overlap down the right. One step-over. Then another. And then, true to form in this match, a wild cross bobbles out for a throw on the other side.
34 min: Salah hits the top of the bar! It’s a delicious ball from the left channel inside his own half from Gakpo but Salah got lucky as Burnley’s defenders were simply ball watching. The Egyptian shoots as the ball loops back down to earth and he cracks it towards goal. Late dip on it means it’s close, but not close enough. Wonderful strike.
Updated
32 min: Panic at the back again and Trafford punts a ball anywhere he can. It’s a Liverpool throw near the corner flag. The subsequent attack fizzles out and Trafford has the ball in his hand. But it really looks like Burnley are spooked. Especially at the back. Klopp will be driving his players for another goal before the break.
31 min: Odobert’s cross from the right is a stinker. He had plenty of time to set himself. And though he only had one runner in the box, he really should have done better with the space. Goal kick to Liverpool and more frustration for Kompany.
29 min: Yup. No goal. Shocking defending from Burnley goes unpunished. They’re struggling to clear the ball once they start scrambling. A blistering finish from Gakpo. He’s been good tonight. Arguably a soft foul from Nunez but I think it’s the right decision as he leaned into the defender inside the box which helped Gakpo find the room to charge onto the loose ball.
28 min: Nunez connects with Salah who charges down the right. He finds Elliot and almost gets it back with a cute chip over the top. Burnley can’t get rid of the ball in their box and Gakpo blasts a shot that’s blocked. He then hammers another shot into the net but before he can celebrate the referee’s whistle sounds for a foul from Nunez. They’ll check it but I don’t think the on field decision will be overturned.
25 min: Gakpo hoists a cross from the corner of the Burnley box. It’s never going to work from there. Liverpool need to perhaps show a bit more patience in possession. The’ve been totally dominant. Now Nunez bursts into an off-side position. Slowly slowly catch the monkey. That’s what I’d be saying from the side of the pitch.
24 min: Burnley look good when they have the ball. A wonderful diagonal finds Tresor who wriggles round his man on the flank. He moves it infield but the final pass to Amdouni is soft and Liverpool can break. Brownhill is lucky to espace a caution after flying into a challenge that was nowhere near the ball.
23 min: Salah is all the way on the right flank. Alexander-Arnold pushes forward into the space created and links well with Nunez. They can’t get a shot away so chuck in a hopeful cross. Trafford has no trouble grabbing it.
Updated
21 min: Berge is rightly shown yellow for a rugby tackle in midfield. More like a judo hold in fact. Either way, can’t be doing that.
Updated
20 min: It was actually a shot from Elliot that was blocked, rather than a dink into the box, that put Gakpo in with a chance. Elliot is keen on a goal.
19 min: Liverpool’s chance to cough up the ball. Foster picks it up and runs straight. He doesn’t know what to do with it and merely runs into a brick wall. Liverpool back up the field. A bit of ping-pong on the edge of the Burnley box. Then a dink over the top and Gakpo is in space but Trafford smothers the chance. Desperate from Burnley. But they survive.
18 min: Nunez shrugs iff Taylor down the flank. Just a nudge but the Burnley man flies away. Nunez then puts in a lovely cross but can’t quite find Gakpo making the run towards the near post. Again, a big chance for Liverpool.
17 min: Burnley over-play in their own red zone and almost pay the price. It breaks for Nunez in the box and though he can’t get the shot away, it was a shaky moment for the home side. They need to switch on now or this could be over in a flash.
“Apologies for going all Football Clichés, but re: Salah - Gakpo - Nunez, can a front three be ‘paired together’?”
First of all, no need to apologise for that, Rob Moore. Secondly, you’re right. They cannot. My mistake.
14 min: Brownhill collects a loose ball and feeds Odebert down the right. He cuts infield and chips it square over a Liverpool defender to keep the move flowing. It’s pretty from Burnley but they can’t find a way through the Liverpool block. They’ll have the opportunity to lift in a corner though. Cracking game so far.
12 min: Brownhill hits a shot first time and he’s not far from the bottom corner. Nice work in the build up with Odebert getting involved down the right. Alisson dived and probably had it covered.
10 min: Burnley have not won a single point after going behind this season. And with Gakpo skewing his shot from inside the box, it looks like it could get a whole lot worse for the home side. Was a tough chance for the Liverpool forward. A long diagonal bounced kindly but he needed to wait a little longer for it to drop. Instead he snatched at it and hoofed it into the stands.
9 min: And breathe. Burnley need a little break after that mad period. Just been shown a replay of the Trafford save. I’m not sure you’ll see many better all season.
8 min: Trafford tips a Salah dink over the bar. What a shot from Salah. How’s he managed to dig that out? Quality save as well. He wouldn’t have seen that until it was right on as the shot came from inside the box and from behind a defender. Burnley getting lashed right now.
7 min: Gavenberch fluffs a shot from inside the box after a great run from midfield with the ball glued to his feet. It was a tame effort. My word, that probably should be 2-0.
GOAL! Burnley 0-1 Liverpool (Nunez, 6)
Nunez finds the net with aplomb! No other word for it. That was a simply brilliant finish. Opens his body up on the edge of the box as the short pass rolls across him. Then, with his in-step, he curls it into the bottom corner. Lovely finish.
Updated
5 min: Big chance for Burnley. Amdouni’s delicious spin in his own half opens the field before him. It really was a lovely touch. He kept going, and going, and going. Runners on either side offered options but the space remained open and he shot with an attempted curler and missed by miles.
4 min: Elliot shoots from range and he gets it on target. Trafford has to dive low to save and Salah, on the follow up, is off side. Nice play from Liverpool to free Elliot into a midfield hole.
2 min: Gomez gets his pocket picked on the left. He’s a right footed of course. Will be interesting to see if Liverpool can create width down his side.
1 min: Bright start for Burnley. Tresor on the ball in the final third after some neat passing but Liverpool clear.
Alrighty, here, we, GO! Liverpool in a white and green number, Burnley in their classic claret and blue.
“I‘ve just had to explain to my (American) wife the concept of “warm-up kits” for Premiership teams, as we watched Mo Salah sport Liverpool’s latest little green number. “Jeez, they’ve got more outfits than a Hollywood starlet, these men!” was her caustic observation. She’s not wrong.”
She’s not wrong, Justin Kavanagh. And when you go to one an official club shop it’s easy to see why they have so many shirts, jumpers, tracksuits and beanies. More is more.
Salah – Gakpo – Nunez. It’s the first time this front three have been paired together. Nunez is listed as starting on the left but I imagine it’ll get quite fluid with Salah pulling strings and defenders across the line.
The last time Liverpool lost on Boxing day was against Manchester City in 2013.
The scorer that day: Mr Vincent Jean Mpoy Kompany.
Vincent Kompany says there is “threat in our team”. Fighting talk again. Fair play to him. He wants to play a certain way and he’s not going to veer to far from that. But is he auditioning for a job or trying to save a club from relegation? Maybe a bit of both?
Other results this Boxing Day:
Newcastle 1-3 Nottingham Forest
Bournemouth 3-0 Fulham
Sheffield United 2-3 Luton Town
Not quite the deluge of 1963, but that’s not a bad haul so far.
Jurgen Klopp has described Burnley as a “football playing team”. We know what he means. And I believe it’s a sincere compliment. I do wonder hoe Burnley fans feel about their side this season. Has Vincent Kompany been naive? Over ambitious? Stuck playing a certain way? Would relegation be more palatable because he continued to ‘play football’? Just some musings.
Did I mention that Liverpool have an injury crisis? Jurgen Klopp hasn’t forgotten and is ‘concerned’ by the growing casualty list at Anfield. Can they cope against 19th-placed Burnley? I’m guessing they’ll be fine.
Is your brain foggy from too much merriment? Can’t remember where all the big dogs in the league currently lie? Don’t fret. We’ve got you covered:
Liverpool chasing top spot
Five changes for the Reds as Jurgen Klopp juggles his team around this hectic festive period. Darwin Nunez, Harvey Elliott, Ryan Gravenberch, Jarell Quansah and Joe Gomez all start. Kostas Tsimikas drops out after picking up a knock in the draw with Arsenal while Dominik Szoboszlai, Ibrahima Konate, Curtis Jones and Luiz Diaz are all on the bench. Still, plenty of power up front.
Liverpool XI: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk, Quansah, Gomez, Gravenberch, Endo, Elliott, Salah, Gakpo, Nunez.
⚪ #BURLIV TEAM NEWS 🟢
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) December 26, 2023
How we line up to face Burnley at Turf Moor this evening:
Burnley desperately need a lift
Just one change to the team that beat Fulham on Saturday as Mike Tresor starts ahead of Jacob Bruun Larsen. Aaron Ramsey and Johann Berg Gudmunsson aren’t fit enough to start and will begin on the bench.
Burnley XI: Trafford, Vitinho, O’Shea, Beyer, Taylor, Tresor, Berge, Brownhill, Odobert, Foster, Amdouni.
The Clarets that make up today's team 💪 pic.twitter.com/rrwZI1zfwE
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) December 26, 2023
Preamble
Hello all, Merry Christmas and welcome to welcome to the live MBM of this Boxing Day treat. History points towards a comfortable Liverpool won. They've won seven of their last eight league matches at Turf Moor – their highest away win rate (88%) against any side they’ve faced at least five times – but an injury crisis impacting a range of positions, including first-choice left-back Andy Robertson, could impact them today.
Burnley will take any advantage they can get as they've struggled at home this campaign. With eight defeats from nine on their own patch, they've only lost more top-flight matches at Turf Moor in a single campaign on four previous occasions: nine in 1970-71, 1975-76 and 2020-21, and 10 in 2018-19. And we've only just passed Christmas!
Liverpool tend to carry over the Christmas cheer and have won their past six Boxing Day matches since a 2-1 defeat at Manchester City in 2013.
A win will take Liverpool top of the league at least until Arsenal play again in two days. Burnley will remain in the drop zone no matter what happens. Vincent Kompany won't be worrying about that today. Perhaps this is the match that turns his season around? Hey, tis the time for festive miracles. Maybe we're in for one this afternoon.
Kick off at 5:30pm BST. Teams and further updates to come.
