Liverpool’s stuttering run continued yesterday as Burnley left Anfield with a hard-earned 1–1 draw, frustrating the champions with a low-block display and making their own single clear opening count.
Arne Slot’s side dominated the ball and peppered the Burnley goal for long spells, but a missed penalty and a string of wasted chances meant Florian Wirtz’s first-half strike wasn’t enough to secure three points, with Marcus Edwards punishing a rare lapse to snatch an equaliser after the break.
From the first whistle it felt like one-way traffic. Liverpool pushed Burnley back, moved the ball quickly from side to side and looked to overload the flanks with their full-backs flying forward. The chances began arriving early. Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike both tested Martin Dubravka, while Cody Gakpo’s movement constantly dragged defenders out of shape.
The big moment came when Gakpo went down in the box under a challenge and Liverpool were awarded a penalty. Dominik Szoboszlai stepped up, but his strike crashed against the crossbar, a miss that immediately changed the mood inside the stadium and seemed to tighten Liverpool’s shoulders.
Burnley’s plan was clear: survive the storm, stay compact, and wait for an opportunity to break. They nearly got punished repeatedly as Liverpool kept piling on pressure, but the breakthrough finally arrived three minutes before half-time. A scramble in the area ended with Curtis Jones finding Wirtz, and the German made no mistake, sweeping the ball in for 1–0 and briefly restoring calm.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Liverpool camped in Burnley’s half and looking for the second goal that would kill the contest. Wirtz was heavily involved, slipping passes into the box and creating shooting chances, and there was a huge moment when Gakpo rounded the goalkeeper only to be denied by a remarkable goal-line clearance from Bashir Humphreys. That intervention felt pivotal, because within minutes Burnley produced their best move of the afternoon—and finished it.
On 65 minutes, Edwards timed his run onto a through ball, drove into the area and fired a low shot across Alisson to make it 1–1. It was Burnley’s clearest chance and, in truth, their only real moment of incision, but it was enough. Liverpool responded with another wave of attacks, increasing the tempo and throwing more bodies into advanced areas. Ekitike thought he had restored the lead when he bundled in from close range, only for the goal to be ruled out after it was judged he had strayed offside in the build-up and the ball also struck his arm in the sequence.
The closing stages turned into a test of patience. Liverpool kept shooting—often from crowded angles—and Dubravka made a series of saves while his defenders threw themselves into blocks. Alexis Mac Allister had the best late opening, arriving in space around 15 yards out, but he dragged his shot wide when Anfield was already rising to celebrate. Burnley even threatened a late smash-and-grab at the other end with a rare break, only for Liverpool to recover and shut it down.
After the match, Slot spoke with clear frustration, saying the performance in many aspects was strong—especially the volume of chances created—but stressing that it means little if the finishing doesn’t match the dominance. He also acknowledged the supporters’ disappointment at full-time, indicating he felt the same way as the stands: Liverpool had done enough to win, but didn’t do the one thing that mattered most.
Burnley boss Scott Parker took a very different view, praising his team’s resilience and discipline after spending so long under pressure. He pointed to their improved second-half composure and highlighted Edwards’ finish as a moment of real quality, arguing his players stayed patient and earned their reward by taking the chance when it finally arrived.
For Liverpool, it was another afternoon of control without the payoff, and another reminder that in tight title races, points dropped in games like this add up quickly. For Burnley, it was a rare bright moment in a difficult season—proof that organisation, belief and one clinical touch can be enough, even at Anfield.
