Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp likened his side’s win over Burnley to a “semi-final” And hope for victory on Sunday against Crystal Palace with a chance to finish in the top four.
Liverpool’s impressive victory at West Bromwich Albion on Sunday kept their Champions League hopes alive.
Turf Moor built on their last weekend’s victory with a much more decisive victory than the points claimed.
A superb finish from Roberto Firmino turned Liverpool’s game into a club’s first goal of Nathaniel Phillips. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain‘s late drive makes it safer points and improves Red’s goal difference.
The Reds are now in the fourth position in the Champions League, level on points with fifth-placed Leicester City. And the goal difference is four times better than the Foxes.
Klopp’s side welcomed the Eagles to Roy Hodgson‘s final four-day game, with 10,000 fans inside Anfield.
The Foxes are at home to Tottenham, and Chelsea, the best of both, are at Aston Villa.
“Today was a semi-final match,” Klopp said. “And we had to win the semi-final, and we did.
“Nothing has been taken yet. But we have also upgraded our site, and we have a final. That’s what we needed. That’s what we deserved because this was a top game.
“Now we have to make sure that we recover quickly. We have a minor team in some positions. We have to wrap them in cotton wool.
“And I can no longer wait for the arrival of the 10,000 fans at Anfield. There are no restrictions. The Palace is strong.”
Liverpool dug deep to be saved.
After needing an injury-time goal from goalkeeper Alisson to complete a comeback and beat West Brom, the Reds endured another stressful encounter at Turf Moor on the weekend.
They were carried all over the stage by local organizations determined. To please their 3,000 fans and give them an end to the wrong form of home.
Liverpool had a hard time coping with the Clarets’ pressure. Especially in the first half, with the body of a challenging home team, Red failed to tackle at some point.
However, even though they had no background information. Phillips and Rhys Williams did quite well against Chris Wood, who is in form, the first one even adding something to score goals in his game.
After coming into the corner, the 24-year-old was set to head home as Mane turned the cross from the left. His first goal of the unexpected. But the most essential 20 appearances for the Reds injured this season.
Phillips also lined up well to clear Ben Mee’s header, which would have given visitors the last ten most challenging minutes.
Currently, they snatched for the third time, and Oxlade-Chamberlain scored his first goal. A fine finish after running away from Charlie Taylor. At the end of the season, he was hampered by injuries and an extended stay on the bench.
It was Firmino’s goal, however, that had already provided the most significant success. His low-key result from Andy Robertson’s rematch was the first half. The visitors were able to attack in the first painful and often late run until the end.
It wasn’t an exciting thing for Klopp’s team. But there wasn’t much we could do during the nine games unbeaten, which put them at risk of getting something out of this very disappointing season.
“It’s never been easier,” Klopp said. “I don’t remember an easy game with Burnley.
“What a job Sean Dyche did here. The way they play is challenging to defend. They are smart.
“Apart from the initial frustration, we had to adapt to the atmosphere. But then we played outstanding football.”
Since February, after a fourth consecutive victory, the Reds are now in the top four for the first time. Their longest campaign match.
It would also be enough without Leicester beating Tottenham and significantly improving their goal difference.
Fighting Burnley gave everything they had
Burnley has now extended an unwanted club record in 10 consecutive home league games without a win, starting in January.
With the fans back inside the Turf Moor, the home team was apparently in a state of repair, trying out the entire stadium getting into the ropes, and getting inside to block the gun.
James Tarkowski and Mee used to fight to defend goalkeeper Will Norris, starting his first Premier League game for the team.
Things would have been different if Wood had not put in a lot of effort after joining Liverpool’s defensive line to reach the long ball forward. But this was a show of cruelty that, in some cases, damaged their season.
“We’ve had a tough season,” Dyche said. “We’ve knocked on the way.
“I thought we had a good response. We played well a few weeks ago, but we didn’t take our chances.
“We could have made it to the last three rounds when we were so important. It could have been my biggest bug.”
There is little that Dyche can ask of both of his players in this game. And in the league campaign, which also seems to contradict their small budget for the division.
However, Dyche will be looking forward to finishing at the top of Sheffield United before the summer.
“There’s always a lot of things we had to do here,” Dyche said. “This is a fresh start every summer. We will see what happens and what can be done by investing wisely.
“We have a strong foundation here to work over on. And that’s how we plan in addition to finding the next generation of players who will be able to move forward.”
