Best of VAR: Harvey Elliott and Gakpo should have their own goal on Boxing Day for a perfect win

Against the opponent who is at the bottom of the rankings, Liverpool only needed 6 minutes to penetrate Burnley’s net. After Cody Gakpo’s pass, Darwin Nunez shot from the edge of the penalty area into the far corner of the goal, beating goalkeeper James Trafford.

 

It seemed that Nunez’s first goal after 12 unsuccessful matches in all competitions would open up a devastating victory for “The Kop”. In the first half, coach Jurgen Klopp’s team suffocated the hosts with 68% ball possession and 14 shots, 8 of which were on target but could not score even one more goal.

 

After Nunez’s goal, opportunities continued to open up for Gakpo and Mohamed Salah. However, this duo both missed out. When Gakpo put the ball into the home net in the 28th minute, the goal was disallowed because of offside. Not long after, it was Salah’s turn to make the fans regretful with a volley that hit the bar.

In the second half, Liverpool suddenly slowed down and left Burnley with a lot of space to organize an attack. In the 68th minute, Gudmundsson almost brought home the equalizer. His well-placed header sent the ball over the bar.

 

In the second half, Liverpool had one more shot to put the ball into Burnley’s net, after Harvey Elliott’s neat kick in the penalty area. However, VAR stepped in and once again took away the joy of “Red Brigade” fans. Salah was determined to be offside and obstructing the goalkeeper’s vision.

It wasn’t until the 90th minute that Liverpool scored their second goal. The difference maker was Diogo Jota. The Portuguese striker just entered the field in the 84th minute but was able to leave his mark with an impressive goal from a tight angle, after an assist from Luis Diaz.

 

The match at Turf Moor ended with a victory for Liverpool. “The Kop” temporarily rose to the top of the Premier League with 42 points, 2 points more than Arsenal and played one more match. In this round, Arsenal will have to face West Ham, an opponent with an annoying playing style.