Mohamed Salah on the spot as Liverpool break Burnley hearts in stoppage time

It never felt inevitable that Liverpool were going to emerge from Turf Moor with three points until Mohamed Salah was lining up a 95th-minute penalty. They dominated possession but struggled to break down 10-man Burnley whose organisation and hard work frustrated the visitors until Hannibal Mejbri’s stoppage-time handball gifted the points to the champions.

Arne Slot’s side have made a perfect start as they aim to retain the title, a task that should be made easier when he unleashes record £125m Alexander Isak, whose exile was extended by another match but it was not self-imposed on this occasion. With Liverpool lacking conviction in the final third, Isak would have been a welcome addition but, with a fourth straight victory secured, Slot need not worry about that.

It is the second time in successive games that a late penalty has cost Burnley a draw, having lost last time out at Manchester United in similar circumstances. Scott Parker will be proud of his players who in a season that could be defined by the finest of margins, the points dropped, will frustrate. Burnley were holding on, and deservedly so, not helped by Lesley Ugochukwu being dismissed late on for a second bookable offence but a further self-inflicted defeat.

Parker, whose final game in charge of Bournemouth was a 9-0 defeat to Liverpool in August 2022, approached the fixture with a conservative outlook. Burnley switched to a back five, including central midfielder Josh Laurent. They offered the visitors as much possession as they deserved, with everyone in claret almost-permanently behind the ball and rarely offering much in the way of a press, as Liverpool enjoyed 81% possession, but were ready to irritate and pounce to win the ball back when required.

Liverpool spent plenty of time in the Burnley half, winning numerous corners, putting Martin Dubravka under pressure with crosses but the hosts were able to hold the champions at bay. They even created their own early chance on the counter, culminating in Jaidon Anthony firing just over from the edge of the box.

The Turf Moor crowd were enraged by the amount of time Alexis Mac Allister took to get up after a reckless challenge by Ugochukwu, which rightly earned a booking. The hostility towards Liverpool quickly grew when Milos Kerkez performed a pitiful dive in an attempt to earn a penalty. His reward was being the second name to go into Michael Oliver’s book and was replaced by Andy Robertson in the 38th minute to avoid him being dismissed.

Burnley’s deep defending disrupted Liverpool’s rhythm because there was little space to utilise. Where invention was required to get through the claret wall, Liverpool lacked the cunning to find a way with the limited room afforded to them. Florian Wirtz struggled to create despite Liverpool often camping on the edge of the Burnley box. The substitute Robertson came closest to opening the scoring but he shot straight at Dubravka after a bursting run into the box.

At this point, it would have been useful to call on Isak but he was at home. Slot is eager not to rush him into playing after missing pre-season. Salah, Hugo Ekitiké and Cody Gakpo were not on the same wavelength and breaking down Burnley was a struggle.

Instead Conor Bradley was sent on at the break to inject much-needed energy. There was greater vibrancy to Liverpool as Ryan Gravenberch fired over, while Wirtz, whose influence was beginning to grow, shot wide and Dominik Szoboszlai’s rising drive was superbly tipped over by Dubravka. The tide was turning in Liverpool’s favour.

Slot had Federico Chiesa at his disposal and the Italian had a fine chance to head home from a Robertson cross immediately after coming on but could only glance the ball wide when a strong Swedish forehead was required.

Time-wasting, blocks and last-ditch challenges were the order of the day for Burnley in the closing stages as they fought to complete the job they set out to do. Debutant Luis Florentino stuck to his task on his first experience of Premier League football, while Kyle Walker excelled at full-back, forcing the rest of the defence to match his standards.

Burnley’s mission was made more difficult with six minutes to go when Ugochukwu was given a second yellow for fouling Wirtz on the edge of the box. It was all about holding on from this point. Szoboszlai could not replicate his magic that defeated Arsenal and sent the subsequent free-kick over.

The clock ticked down and Turf Moor was ready to exhale with relief at the final whistle, but instead Liverpool got to enjoy that emotion. Jeremie Frimpong clipped a cross into the box, Mejbri turned his back, sticking out an elbow to leave Oliver with no other option. It was a brief lapse in concentration and it clearly pained Mejbri to watch Salah fire beyond Dubravka. It is another harsh Premier League lesson for Burnley but champions are often the best at teaching them.

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