Nunez ends goal drought as Liverpool go top

Liverpool moved to the top of the Premier League table as goals from Darwin Nunez and substitute Diogo Jota gave them a comfortable 2-0 win at Burnley.

Nunez struck in the sixth minute, a goal that ended a 12-match goal drought in all competitions, while Jota, who returned from injury, found the net in the 90th minute.

Burnley rarely threatened and had James Trafford to thank for keeping them in the contest until Jota struck, with the goalkeeper making eight saves.

Liverpool made five changes from Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal as Jarell Quansah, Joe Gomez, Ryan Gravenberch, Harvey Elliott and Nunez came into the side.

Burnley made just a single change from their 2-0 success at Fulham as Mike Tresor came in for Jacob Bruun Larsen.

The hosts started well and should have made more of a counter-attack as they had a 4v3 situation, but Zeki Amdouni ignored the support and could only shoot wide of the right post.

And a minute later, Liverpool punished that miss as Nunez scored for the first time since 1 November, against AFC Bournemouth in the EFL Cup.

The Uruguayan received a pass from Cody Gakpo before producing a fine finish into the bottom-right corner of the net from just outside the penalty area.

Liverpool were well on top and had further chances to extend their lead as Trafford produced a superb fingertip save to deny Mohamed Salah while Gakpo blazed a shot over the bar.

Jurgen Klopp’s side did have the ball in the back of the net through Gakpo, but it was ruled out after Nunez had fouled Charlie Taylor in the build-up.

Chances kept coming for Liverpool though as Salah struck the crossbar and Wataru Endo forced another good save from Trafford, who then kept out the Egyptian again moments later.

Liverpool then had a goal ruled out after Elliott had put the visitors 2-0 up. The strike was overturned following a VAR review after Salah was adjudged to be in an offside position, blocking Trafford’s line of sight.

That moment lifted Burnley and after a period of pressure, they finally created a clear-cut opening when Wilson Odobert’s left-wing cross found Johann Gudmundsson, who headed over the crossbar.

Substitute Dominik Szoboszlai shot over from range, Trent Alexander-Arnold volleyed over and Luis Diaz was denied by Trafford as Liverpool looked to double their advantage and put the contest to bed.

And Liverpool eventually scored a deserved second goal when Jota, on his return from injury, slotted the ball through Trafford’s legs from a tight angle, netting his 50th goal in all competitions for the club.

Under Klopp, Liverpool have won all six of their Boxing Day matches, the outright most by a manager with a 100 per cent win rate on this day in the competition’s history.

And that latest victory has moved them on to 42 points after 19 matches.

Burnley remain in 19th with 11 points, five behind 18th-placed Everton, who have played a match fewer.

Nunez scored his 23rd goal for Liverpool in all competitions, but the first to come from outside the box. Indeed, before today, each of his last 40 goals in club football had been from inside the penalty area, with his previous goal from outside the box being for Benfica against Sporting da Covilha in December 2021.

Liverpool have won back-to-back Premier League away games against newly promoted sides within a single season for the first time since 2019/20, when they beat all three promoted sides on the road.

Burnley are the first side in English top-flight history to lose as many as nine of their opening 10 home matches of a season.

Since his first season with Liverpool (2020/21), no player has scored more Premier League goals as a substitute than Jota (7). Indeed, Jota’s goal was his 50th for Liverpool in all competitions.