Liverpool score four against gutsy Burnley

Both sides had a point to prove coming into this lunchtime clash. Burnley, who are dangerously close to relegation, will have wanted to stamp some authority away from home in order to save their chances of Premier League action for next season.

While Liverpool will have wanted to continue their Premier League title chase by claiming three points to close the gap between themselves and Manchester City.

We witnessed an early upset at Anfield as Burnley took full advantage of their corner to draw first blood and take the lead away from home. Westwood curled his corner in beautifully, and after a little help from an immobilised Alisson, his effort snuck inside the back post to take Burnley into the lead.

Liverpool did well to keep calm and carry on and it didn't take them too long before they cancelled out Burnley's lead with a Firmino tap-in. It's unlikely he'll ever find himself with an easier finish, after Heaton and Tarkowski failed to do their jobs and clear the danger for Burnley.

Burnley began to panic as Liverpool found their feet,  and it took less than ten minutes for the home side to push ahead into the lead. Again, Burnley couldn't clear their lines and the frantic flurry of football came to an end with Mane who fired it past Heaton.

The rest of the half played out fairly quietly with only one significant chance for Liverpool which came with Mohamed Salah but his effort flew wide of Heaton's right-hand post.

After three added minutes, Burnley welcomed half-time as an opportunity to settle down and regather before the second-half. Having eradicated Burnley's opening goal and kicked on ahead with their own lead, Liverpool went into the break confident and dominant.

As expected, it was Liverpool who heaped the pressure on Burnley right from the get-go at the start of the second-half. Both Firmino and Salah had chances to score but Burnley put in some last-ditch efforts to block Liverpool's relentless pressure.

Burnley began to build somewhat of a pressurised attack but it was swiftly eradicated by Liverpool as they earned themselves a two goal cushion with Firmino claiming his second.

Salah might have deserved a penalty in the build up but Firmino picked up the pieces for Liverpool's third goal.

Liverpool continued their hunt for a fourth goal by bringing on Jordan Henderson who was key to retaining possession for the Reds. Anfield was shocked to the core after Mane failed to divert Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross goalwards. Even the striker himself thought he had claimed Liverpool's fourth.

Burnley had other ideas though as Gudmundsson taps in a second for the visitors. Although their celebrations didn't last long as Mane silenced them with a much-anticipated Liverpool fourth in the dying seconds of the game.

Liverpool can be happy with their performance as they shorten the gap at the top of the table to just a point between themselves and Manchester City sitting in top spot. The loss for Burnley means they remain under pressure to stay out of the relegation zone.