Goals
Florian Wirtz — 42nd minute — Liverpool
Marcus Edwards — 65th minute — Burnley
Liverpool’s growing frustration against deep-lying opposition continued as Burnley earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw at Anfield, cancelling out Florian Wirtz’s first-half strike through a clinical finish from Marcus Edwards. Despite dominating territory and chances, Arne Slot’s side were again left ruing missed opportunities, a costly penalty miss and defensive lapses.
Before kick-off, Slot admitted he was still waiting for his team’s attacking play to “really click”. For long spells, it appeared close. Liverpool finished the match with 32 shots, 11 on target, an xG of 2.96, and 74 touches in the opposition box, yet emerged with just one goal and a point.
Burnley set up with a deep back five and compact midfield line, leaving Armando Broja isolated up front. Liverpool responded with width and movement, with Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez pushing high and Wirtz drifting into dangerous pockets. Early efforts from Hugo Ekitiké and Cody Gakpo forced Martin Dubravka into sharp saves, while Lucas Pires produced a vital clearance to deny Curtis Jones at the back post.
The hosts were handed a golden opportunity midway through the half when Cody Gakpo went down under pressure from Florentino Luís in the box. The decision was widely viewed as a soft penalty, and Burnley felt aggrieved — but justice, in their eyes, was served when Dominik Szoboszlai struck the crossbar from the spot.
Liverpool regrouped and finally broke through before the interval. After Dubravka denied Ekitiké from a tight angle, Jones recovered possession inside a crowded area and slipped the ball to Florian Wirtz, who smashed a rising finish into the top corner for his fourth goal in six matches.
Burnley emerged with far greater intent after the break. Marcus Edwards began to find space in transition, first breaking clear on the right before almost creating a goal for Jaidon Anthony — a move that ended with Ibrahima Konaté nearly diverting the ball into his own net before Alisson intervened.
Liverpool continued to threaten, with Dubravka saving from Wirtz one-on-one and Bashir Humphreys producing two separate goal-line clearances — the second after Wirtz wriggled through defenders and cut the ball back for Gakpo. It felt only a matter of time before the hosts doubled their lead.
Instead, Burnley struck. Florentino split Liverpool’s static defence with a precise pass into Edwards, who received the ball in space on the left side of the area. Konaté failed to close him down, and Marcus Edwards rifled a powerful finish across Alisson and into the far corner to level the match with Burnley’s only shot on target.
Anfield grew tense as Liverpool poured forward in search of a winner. Humphreys made yet another desperate intervention, Ekitiké had a goal ruled out for offside, Alexis Mac Allister blazed over with his first touch off the bench, and Jones dragged a shot agonisingly wide across goal. The home side’s pressure was relentless but increasingly frantic.
Burnley, meanwhile, defended with resolve and belief. As Kyle Walker later reflected: “You never say die. Whatever will be will be, but at least we can look in the mirror and say we’ve given our all.” For Scott Parker’s side, the final whistle felt like victory.
For Liverpool, boos greeted full time — the fourth straight league draw and another missed chance to turn dominance into decisive points. For Burnley, battling near the bottom, Marcus Edwards’ moment of composure secured a precious point and underlined once again how ruthless efficiency can outweigh overwhelming possession at the highest level.
