Liverpool’s impenetrable 100 per cent record at Anfield has come to an end following 18 months of complete superiority at their fortress of a home ground after Burnley held the Reds to a 1-1 stalemate.
It was a game that saw the Premier League champions dominate but were left scratching their heads following a lack of ruthlessness in front of goals as well as the heroics of Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope.
Here is a look at which three Liverpool players stood out in the 1-1 draw at Anfield.
Fabinho
It’s fair to say that not every Liverpool player has been able to maintain the same devastating levels on a weekly basis but Brazilian maestro Fabinho is completely exempt from this.
The former Monaco man has been absolutely outstanding since the return of football last month and he is finally rediscovering the form of earlier in the season that set Liverpool on their title march before a ligament injury halted his progress.
Fabinho hailed by Pep Ljinders as Liverpool’s very-own ‘lighthouse’ was utterly outstanding against the Clarets and was the creative spark in the Reds’ only goal after his delicious lofted pass found Andy Robertson who headed home the opener.
He has been perfectly managed by his manager Klopp after being carefully rotated in between games and Fabinho is finally regaining momentum under his belt which could be crucial for next season’s title defence.
Fabinho had a pass success of 92 per cent with a pass completion of 62. He also registered more tackles (3) than any other Liverpool player, only Josh Brownhill was able to register the same for Burnley.
Roberto Firmino
This was another impressive performance from Firmino, the only thing that was missing from a star-studded display was of course, a goal.
Firmino is still yet to break his Anfield duck in the Premier League this season and the Brazilian came extremely close to ending the drought after his left-footed effort brushed off the post early on in the second half.
He made more key passes (6) than any other player on the pitch and registered more than the entire Burnley team combined.
If it wasn’t for the unconvincing finishing ability of the forwards today there is no doubt that Firmino could have added to his already impressive tally of seven assists this season.
With just one home game (Chelsea) left of the season, Firmino will have one final opportunity to end his Premier League Anfield curse a week on Wednesday.
Alisson Becker
When Liverpool concede, the goalkeeper isn’t typically a player who receives the plaudits but despite seeing his net bulge, Alisson delivered a composed and assured performance.
The reality is that Liverpool conceding came from the defence not dealing with the ball and failing to absorb pressure before eventually, Rodriguez struck an unstoppable strike to earn a share of the spoils.
Before the goal, Alisson’s reading of the game and distribution were on point and the Brazil No.1 was always looking to start attacks with his quick releasing of the ball as well as his ability to move away from his box and snuff out danger.
Although it was Alisson’s goalkeeping counterpart Nick Pope who took home the man of the match award, it was an afternoon that belonged to both shot-stoppers who perfectly demonstrated why both are firm favourites to win the Premier League Golden Glove.
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