Burnley 0-3 Liverpool: Reds go fourth into driving seat for Champions League football

Liverpool's late surge for Champions League football gathered more pace as they leapfrogged Leicester into fourth place with a hard-fought 3-0 victory at Burnley.

Roberto Firmino's sixth away goal of the season gave the visitors the lead at the end of a pulsating opening half at Turf Moor, which hosted fans for the first time in more than 14 months.

Nat Phillips' first Liverpool goal and substitute Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's first of the season sealed a vital fourth successive league win for Jurgen Klopp's side, which leaves a top-four finish in their hands.

Burnley more than played their part in an entertaining contest, but had nothing to show for their efforts as they succumbed to a 10th home league game without a win, with Phillips brilliantly clearing James Tarkowski's header off the goal line in the second period.

The victory lifts Liverpool above Leicester on goal difference and into the top four for the first time in three months, and means they can guarantee Champions League football if they beat Crystal Palace at Anfield on the final day of the season.

Liverpool in pole position on pivotal final day

• Race for Europe goes down to the wire
• Premier League table | Results

• How the teams lined up | Match stats
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Liverpool stay on track at Turf Moor…

Liverpool could have been two up inside the opening three minutes at an emotionally-charged Turf Moor, where Burnley supporters were reunited with their team after a near 15-month absence.

The Clarets were indebted to Ben Mee's alertness and he excellently prevented Mohamed Salah from firing Liverpool in front with barely two minutes on the clock, before Sadio Mane somehow diverted a trademark Trent Alexander-Arnold cross wide when it looked easier to score.

Burnley gave as good as they got, however, and posed a constant threat to Liverpool's youthful centre-back partnership of Phillips and Rhys Williams, who bravely put his head in the way of Matt Lowton's drive to turn it behind for a corner.

Liverpool's hesitancy when clearing the resulting corner nearly gifted Burnley the breakthrough, but Alisson Becker - the hero from Sunday's dramatic win at West Brom - raced off his line to smother Chris Wood's shot after Salah was dispossessed on the edge of the box.

The visitors' front three combined as Firmino was handed another presentable chance to give the visitors the lead, but the Brazil forward followed in Mane's footstep in steering a shot wide.

Liverpool's profligacy nearly came back to haunt them on 26 minutes when Alisson failed to come off his line and gather Lowton's ball over the top and Wood had just the goalkeeper to beat from six yards, but he inexcusably blazed over high and wide of the target.

Klopp's side cranked up the pressure on the Burnley goal as half-time approached, but Thiago dragged wide after a brilliant exchange of passes before Salah flashed a shot over after racing clear.

Dwight McNeil stung the palms of Alisson before Phillips blazed over after centre-back partner Williams had chested a cross down in the area, but just as it seemed the breakthrough would elude Liverpool before half-time, they finally converted a chance.

Burnley fell asleep defensively for the first time as Mane slipped Andy Robertson in behind, and his cutback was dispatched by Firmino, whose shot proved too hot to handle for goalkeeper Will Norris on his Premier League debut for the Clarets.

Burnley started the second half brightly, with Wood testing Alisson with a curled shot within seconds of the restart, but Liverpool found that crucial next goal as Phillips forcefully headed in Mane's cross to open his account for the club.

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The hosts were denied a lifeline when Tarkowski's goal-bound header was headed off the line goalscorer Phillips, and that was a close as the Clarets came as Liverpool kept them at arm's length before Oxlade-Chamberlain sealed the victory with a clinical near-post drive seven minutes after coming off the bench.

What the managers said…

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp: "It was a semi-final. We had to win the semi-final and we did. Nothing is decided yet, but we improved our position and we have the final. That's what we needed. It's what we deserve because this was a top performance.

"You can't give any chance away against Burnley because of the way they play. They wanted to go for our centre-halves, but our boys did outstandingly well.

"We knew before the game it would be incredibly tough - they had about 3,500 people not on our side. Atmosphere in football is massive. The boys dealt really well with that. They didn't get distracted - they tried to use it because noise is nice. We played a lot of good football stuff."

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Burnley manager Sean Dyche: "They're a clinical side. They're back purring. They showed that in patches. We created enough to score a goal. That's been our nemesis this season. They opened us up enough to win the game.

"There's talk about us playing a certain way but we want to be effective. We probably had more possession and created more chances than we have in a lot of games. I don't want to be hyper-critical. It's been a funny league this season.

"It's brilliant to have people in here. We hope it bodes well for the future - not just in football."

'Like the Liverpool of old'

Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp:

"It's a great result. Liverpool have had to suffer a bit lately but to get that win, get in the top four and know it's now in your hands is massive.

"Crystal Palace at home, fans in the stadium as well, you would like to think Liverpool will get over the line. Defensively, you still worry sometimes. But it feels like they are slowly but surely starting to look like the old Liverpool."

Reds remain in control of destiny - Match stats

• Liverpool have won their last four Premier League games - their longest run of the season, and the Reds' best winning streak in the top-flight in the same campaign since their 18-match run that ended in February last year.
• Burnley are now without a win in their last 10 Premier League games at Turf Moor (D5 L5), their longest winless run on home soil in the league since between March and September 1984 (10 games when in the third tier).
• Thanks to their victory at Turf Moor, Liverpool will end the day in the Premier League top four for the first time since mid-February, at the expense of Leicester, who find themselves outside the UEFA Champions League qualification places for the first time since early December.
• Liverpool haven't lost any of their 14 Premier League matches when Roberto Firmino has scored the opening goal of the game (W12 D2), including winning each of the last 11 in a row.
• Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino is only the second player to score in three consecutive Premier League away games at Turf Moor, after Anthony Martial. Indeed, the Brazilian has now scored as many times in his last three league appearances as in the 19 matches beforehand (3).
• Including a spell at Stuttgart last season, Nathaniel Phillips' header for was his very first career goal as a professional, on what was his 20th appearance for Liverpool across all competitions.

Man of the Match - Nat Phillips

Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher:

"I think even if a double decker bus had come in the box, Nat Phillips would have headed it away. I've been a huge fan since he's come into this team. If Liverpool do eventually cement that Champions League place on Sunday, he will be one of the big reasons why."

What's next?

Burnley travel to Sheffield United and Liverpool host Crystal Palace on the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday at 4pm.

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