Liverpool drop points in Burnley stalemate following Dominik Szoboszlai penalty blunder

Arne Slot welcomed back Hugo Ekitike following injury, while Alexis Mac Allister started on the bench as Curtis Jones was preferred in midfield. Dominik Szoboszlai was deployed on the right wing. As expected, Liverpool dominated possession and territory but struggled to turn control into goals.

The hosts were handed a golden opportunity in the 30th minute when Cody Gakpo was brought down in the penalty area. However, Szoboszlai struck the crossbar from the spot, wasting a clear chance to open the scoring. Liverpool continued to apply pressure and were eventually rewarded before the break, as Florian Wirtz fired home a superb strike after a cut-back from Jones.

Liverpool went into half-time with a 1-0 lead and maintained their attacking intent after the restart. Burnley, though, remained disciplined and made the most of their limited opportunities. In the 65th minute, Marcus Edwards latched onto a through ball from Florentino Luís and finished past Alisson Becker to level the score with Burnley’s first shot on target.

Despite Slot making four substitutions in the final 10 minutes, Liverpool were unable to find a winner. The match ended 1-1, leaving the Reds in fourth place, just one point behind Manchester United and potentially Newcastle, should they win against Wolves.

Speaking after the match, Slot acknowledged the frustration inside Anfield. “If you, as Liverpool, are not disappointed by having a draw at home to Burnley then something is completely wrong,” he said. “I completely understand the frustration. I have the same frustrations and the players definitely have the same frustrations as the fans.”

“I agree that we should have won this game. There wasn’t a lot more I could ask in terms of chance creation. We had a lot of possession, but we need to create more and score more. We only scored one, and that’s why we dropped points.”

Liverpool next turn their attention to Europe, travelling to Marseille for their penultimate Champions League Swiss-stage fixture on 22 January. They then face Bournemouth away in the Premier League before concluding the group phase against Qarabag on 29 January.