Burnley –
Victory over Burnley still half way to Liverpool grab a ticket to Champions League. Because of the counter duel Crystal Palace this weekend is the “final” for the Reds.
Following Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Leicester City at Stamford Bridge the day before, Liverpool were required to win the fierce duel at Turf Moor, Thursday (20/5/2021) early morning WIB, against Burnley.
The Clarets are not easy opponents considering they won 1-0 at Anfield last January. Evidently Burnley made it difficult for Liverpool through his tactical play before Roberto Firmino broke the deadlock in the 43rd minute.
In the second half, Nathaniel Phillips’ goal in the 52nd minute doubled Liverpool’s lead. Burnley still fought back before Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s goal in the 88th minute secured a 3-0 win.
These results made Liverpool enter the top four for the first time after last mid-February. With 66 points from 37 matches, Liverpool are in control of the top four, leading on goal difference (+24) over Leicester City (+20) in fifth.
Given that the last game against Palace will be attended by spectators at Anfield on May 23rd tomorrow, the wind is heading towards it Liverpool. But, Jürgen Klopp warned that Liverpool’s task was not finished because they had to win the “final” to qualify for the Champions League.
“This is a semifinal. We have to win this semifinal and succeed. Nothing is certain yet but we are able to improve our position, then there is a final waiting. That’s what we need. This win deserves a top performance,” Klopp was quoted as saying Sky Sports.
“Does the goal difference matter? No. We see this match is a semi-final. You can not think that you will win 3-0 at Burnley. They always make it difficult,” he continued.
“We must be able to recover as soon as possible. We are short on players in several positions. We have to be able to protect them. I can’t wait for 10,000 fans at Anfield. Nothing is certain yet – Palace are strong,” Klopp concluded.
(mrp/raw)
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