Liverpool-Burnley Verdict: Revived Reds Breeze Past Clarets At Anfield

Liverpool labored to a narrow victory over Burnley on Boxing Day. The Reds cruised past the same opponents Wednesday, further demonstrating the extent of their dramatic turnaround in the last three months.

Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Burnley at Anfield was both comprehensive and deserved. Liverpool controlled the game from start to finish, and victory was never in doubt. The main questions in this contest were “By what margin would Liverpool win?” and “Who will do the goal-scoring honors?”

Jordan Henderson led the way, scoring the game-winner and setting up Daniel Sturridge for Liverpool’s second. Henderson is thriving in a fixed role in the center of the Reds’ midfield, and the responsibility of captaining Liverpool (in Steven Gerrard’s absence) appears to be driving him to greater heights.

Sturridge was the only change manager Brendan Rodgers made to the starting lineup which beat Manchester City on Sunday. Sturridge spearheaded Liverpool’s attack, pushing Raheem Sterling into wide role and dropping Lazar Markovic to the bench. While Sterling made less of an impact than he has in recent games (in which he played up front), Sturridge was a constant threat in his 83 minutes of action.

Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton twice denied Sturridge on clear-cut chances in the first half, but he was powerless to stop the Liverpool striker from scoring a headed goal in the 51st minute. Sturridge broke a five-game goal drought in league play and staked his claim for increased playing time with a performance full of attacking menace. What that means for Sturridge’s partnerships with Liverpool’s other attackers or his place in Rodgers’ new system remains to be seen.

Liverpool contained Burnley’s non-existent attack with another fine defensive display. Burnley didn’t register a single shot on target. Rodgers’ Reds only have conceded 30 goals in 28 league games this season and have held opponents to one or fewer goals in 15 of their last 16 outings.

Liverpool’s defensive dominance nullified the threat of Burnley striker Danny Ings. The 22-year-old reportedly is one of Liverpool’s summer transfer targets, but he never had more than a half chance to score his 10th goal of an impressive debut campaign in the Premier League. Ings’ failure to impress in what some called an “audition” is down to his team’s limitations against an opponent, which is vastly improved since the last time they met.

Liverpool simply continued its resurgence, and its chase for a top-four finish remains on track. The Reds moved into fifth place in the standings with 51 points from 28 games. They have amassed 30 of them in the last 12 games, dropping just six points during their impressive unbeaten streak. They now sit just three points behind third-place Arsenal and trail fourth-place Manchester United by two points.

Liverpool will play Arsenal and Manchester United in the next month. The Reds’ rivals likely will find themselves matched against a better team — consisting of the same players — than the the one they faced in December. Burnley can attest to that fact.