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Salah spares Liverpool blushes with last-gasp penalty winner at Burnley

Salah scored from the spot in the final minutes
Salah scored from the spot in the final minutesSTU FORSTER / Getty Images via AFP
Liverpool left it late, again, but they eventually found a way through a stubborn Burnley defence to win 1-0 at Turf Moor and continue their 100% start to the campaign, marking just the third time they have won each of their four opening Premier League (PL) games.

Key stats

- Liverpool are the first team in Premier League history to win four matches in a row with goals scored in the final 10 minutes or later

- Mo Salah has now scored 188 Premier League goals, moving above Andy Cole and into outright fourth spot on the competition's all-time scoring list

- Mo Salah made his 305th Premier League appearance today, moving him joint-second among all African players (with Wilfried Zaha and Jordan Ayew), behind only Kolo Toure (353) 

Highlights

Match report

With eight goals in three league games heading into this one, Liverpool hadn’t struggled for goals this season.

Their newest attacking recruit, Alexander Isak, was missing from the matchday squad, but that shouldn’t have been a factor in what turned out to be a difficult first half for the Reds.

Burnley defended resolutely and possessed some attacking threat of their own, with Jaidon Anthony firing an early warning shot over the bar after a quick transition. 

The home crowd were incredibly vocal, voicing their displeasure when referee Michael Oliver allowed Alexis Mac Allister to remain on the pitch, having gone down injured for an extended period.

The Turf Moor support was enraged further when Milos Kerkez attempted to win a penalty with a comical dive, yet they were somewhat appeased as he was deservedly booked and later hauled off with 38 minutes played, marking the first time in his PL career that Arne Slot has made a tactical substitution before HT.

That summed up Liverpool’s first-half performance, with fanciful solo efforts from Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike barely troubling Martin Dúbravka.

Momentum
MomentumOpta by StatsPerform

Liverpool showed renewed intent after the restart, coming close through Ryan Gravenberch’s venomous volley, shortly before a pair of substitutes combined, with Conor Bradley darting into the box to head Andrew Robertson’s deep cross narrowly wide via a deflection.

Burnley hadn’t lost a competitive home match since May 2024 (W16, D9), but they were increasingly under pressure as Florian Wirtz slotted wide and Dominik Szoboszlai forced a save from range.

A more purposeful second-half display from the visitors saw the pattern of play remain unchanged heading into the final stages of the game, yet a resolute Clarets rearguard kept Liverpool at bay, restricting them to a few clear-cut chances.

Just as it looked as if Burnley were going to make it over the line, a handball from Hannibal Mejbri in the area handed Liverpool the chance to convert from the spot.

As is typical, Salah made no mistake from 12 yards to send the away faithful into raptures and seal a late victory for the Reds.

Despite a creditable performance, Burnley have now lost 15 of their 19 PL H2Hs, leaving them with three defeats from four games back in the PL.

As for Liverpool, another win sees them retake their place at the top of the league table, three points clear at this early stage of the campaign.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Hjalmar Ekdal (Burnley)

Match stats
Match statsOpta by StatsPerform

Catch up on the match here.