Goals from Diogo Jota and Sadio Mane either side of
half-time extended Liverpool’s 100 percent start to the season with six points
from their opening two games.
In front of a first capacity crowd since March 2020, an
emotional pre-match tribute was paid to former players who passed away over the
past 17 months as well as Andrew Devine, the 97th victim of the Hillsborough
disaster, who died in July.
Liverpool ended a 30-year wait to win the title in the time
while football was forced behind closed doors by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Everybody was really looking forward to this football fest
today and nobody leaves this place with any kind of disappointment,” said
Klopp. “Our dreams were fulfilled atmosphere wise.”
Burnley ended Liverpool’s 68-game unbeaten run at Anfield in
the Premier League on their last visit in January, which gave way to a club
record six straight home defeats for the Reds in a difficult season blighted by
a series of injuries to key players.
Sean Dyche’s men are still without a point from their
opening two games, compounding fears for their future in the top flight after a
summer of little investment from the club’s new American owners.
“Football doesn’t judge you on whether your business is good,”
said Dyche on his lack of signings. “It’s about getting players out there to
win games so we’ve got to keep working hard to find that balance.”
The visitors were not shaken by the return of full stands in
the opening stages as Dwight McNeil struck the post and Alisson Becker was
forced to turn behind Ashley Barnes’s header at the near post.
But Dyche was frustrated at the manner in which his side
conceded on 18 minutes as Kostas Tsimikas was given too much time to measure a
perfect cross and Jota ran across Ben Mee to flick a header into the far
corner.
Liverpool then began to find their rhythm as only a VAR
review denied Mohamed Salah doubling the lead as the Egyptian had just strayed
offside before blasting home Harvey Elliott’s pass.
The return of Virgil van Dijk from cruciate knee ligament
damage has seen Liverpool keep two clean sheets to start the season, but they
had to ride their luck at times.
James Tarkowski’s header dropped just wide after beating
Alisson to a free-kick launched into the box just before the break.
Early in the second-half, Burnley did have the ball in the
net only for the offside flag to this time go against them when Barnes slotted
high past Alisson.
Liverpool soon regained the ascendency, though, and should
have ran out even more comfortable winners.
Mane’s dip in form was another reason for the Reds’
struggles in finishing a distant third last season.
The Senegalese had passed up two big chances to net his
first goal of the season before he made sure of the three points by slamming
home Trent Alexander-Arnold’s perfectly measured through ball 21 minutes from
time.
AFP