Burnley 2-0 Liverpool: Sam Vokes and Andre Gray punish Jurgen Klopp's side for another woeful defensive display at Turf Moor
The signs were there before kick-off. Twice in 15 minutes, Turf Moor’s DJ delved into his collection and put David Bowie’s classic ‘Heroes’ on at full volume.
Should Burnley keep playing in the indefatigable manner that saw them bring Liverpool crashing back to earth, that is what Sean Dyche’s squad will become; their third crack at trying to get established in the Premier League is up and running after a thumping afternoon in East Lancashire.
Liverpool had not lost at Turf Moor since Boxing Day 1973 in the league and after opening their campaign with a scintillating win against Arsenal, it was expected they would move through the gears and get an early foothold in the race for a top four place.
Sam Vokes lashed Burnley into an early lead against Liverpool at Turf Moor with a powerful hit from the edge of the box
Vokes wheels away in celebration after handing Burnley a dream start against Liverpool in the Premier League
Vokes is mobbed by his team-mates after handing Burnley the lead against Liverpool in the second minute
Andre Gray notched Burnley's second goal, punishing some poor Liverpool defending with a composed finish
Gray finished off a Burnley counter-attack in clinical style after Liverpool had been pushing for a goal themselves
Gray wheels away in celebration after putting Burnley two goals ahead with a controlled finish against Liverpool
MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS, MATCH ZONE AND PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Heaton 7: Lowton 7, Keane 8.5, Mee 8, Ward 7.5: Arlfeld 7, Marney 8, Defour 8 (Gudmundsson 56mins 7), Boyd 7.5: Gray 8 (O’Neill 90mins), Vokes 8 (Jutkiewicz 82mins)
UNUSED: Robinson (GK), Tarkowski, Kightly, O’Neill, Darikwa
LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Mignolet 5.5: Clyne 4, Lovren 5, Klavan 5, Milner 5 (Moreno 78mins 5): Lallana 5 (Grujic 78mins), Henderson 5, Wijnaldum 4: Sturridge 4 (Origi 64mins 6), Firmino 5, Coutinho 5.5
UNUSED: Manninger (GK), Can, Matip, Stewart
Goals: Vokes (2), Gray (37)
Booked: Henderson
Attendance: 21,313
Referee: Lee Mason
Man-of-the-Match: Michael Keane
Sam Vokes' goal for Burnley is detailed through our superb MATCH ZONE
Not so. Not by a hundred miles. Burnley, thanks to first half goals from Sam Vokes and Andre Gray, rose to the occasion and, inspired by the class of new record signing Steven Defour, they never looked like losing once they grabbed an advantage. Liverpool had the ball, Burnley took the points.
‘Possession does not win a game,’ said Dyche, when Liverpool’s 81 per cent possession statistic was mentioned to him. ‘That myth came out a few years ago. Leicester proved that (you don’t need to have possession) last year. Most of the time Liverpool had five or six men in midfield.
‘If I had done that, we would have had a lot of the ball for a long time too. But I wanted to penetrate and create and try to take chances.’
This was a day the locals will savour, one to sit beside the night they beat Manchester United in August 2009, but it is one Dyche will demand is the catalyst for an campaign that ends with them retaining their status.
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