Darwin Núñez scored early and Diogo Jota scored late as Liverpool made its win over Burnley significantly harder than it needed to be. The Reds are back at the top of the Premier League again but they could have made things a lot more comfortable with better finishing.
Jürgen Klopp made five changes to his line-up but the performance was not the issue for Liverpool. Rather it was the clinicalness of those in the attack that didn't match up with the volume of opportunities that they generated.
Up next for Liverpool is a period where Premier League matches are a lot more sparse than they have been of late. A trip to Arsenal — almost the most difficult draw possible in the FA Cup — comes early in January, with a potential fourth-round tie less than a month later. There is also the small matter of a double-header with Fulham in the Carabao Cup.
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In there, though, four fixtures need to be won in order to ensure that the Reds are right at the heart of the title conversation heading into February. A visit to the Emirates to play Arsenal is the most difficult game in the run but the rest need to be won.
Liverpool's next five Premier League fixtures: Newcastle (H), Bournemouth (A), Chelsea (H), Arsenal (A), Burnley (H)
Newcastle and Chelsea will not be easy fixtures but they are both at Anfield and Liverpool is having a much better season than either of those sides. Bournemouth is in good form and a trip to the south coast will not be simple — neither will the visit of Burnley — but Liverpool should have enough to get the three points against those teams. That is the task for Klopp and his men: to get maximum points against the lesser sides and at least draw with title rival Arsenal.
Both the Gunners and Manchester City have easier runs than Liverpool in the next period, on paper at least. Neither are in the Carabao Cup still, either, which will alleviate the pressures of a congested schedule.
Arsenal's next five fixtures (after West Ham at the Emirates on Thursday): Fulham (A), Crystal Palace (H), Nottingham Forest (A), Liverpool (H), West Ham (A)
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NikeAside from the Liverpool fixture, Arsenal should be getting maximum points from the rest of their games. Manchester City, six points off the top of the table heading into today's matches, has an even more favorable run. A trip to Newcastle could be difficult to win but the rest of the matches look fairly nailed on.
Manchester City's next five (after Everton at Goodison Park, and with the postponed visit of Brentford still to be rearranged): Sheffield United (H), Newcastle (A), Burnley (H), Brentford (A), Everton (H)
In that run, Pep Guardiola will be eyeing the kind of string of wins that his side will need to produce to pull itself back into the top couple of places. For now at least, Aston Villa is ahead of Manchester City (Spurs too, though a Manchester City win in its game in hand would change that).
Aston Villa's next five (after today's clash with Manchester United): Burnley (H), Everton (A), Newcastle (H), Sheffield United (A), Manchester United (H)
Unai Emery's team has to be taken seriously and could easily remain in Champions League contention but something would have to go very wrong for Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City to allow the Midlands outfit to lift the league title. If it comes through the next period unscathed, though, the chances of an upset will only continue to grow.
