Ragnar Klavan scores late winner for Reds
Ragnar Klavan scored an injury-time winner to earn Liverpool a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Burnley on New Year's Day.
With Mohamed Salah and Phillipe Coutinho both not in the Liverpool squad, it was Sadio Mane who broke the deadlock for the visitors in the 61st minute at Turf Moor with a fine strike.
Johann Gudmundsson looked to have grabbed a point for Burnley when he replied in the 88th minute, but Klavan headed in the decisive goal deep into injury-time.
The win stretches Liverpool's unbeaten run in all competitions to 16 matches, while Burnley have now not won in five games in the Premier League.
With the rain teeming down, chances were few and far between in the first half. Burnley's Ashley Barnes fired wide in the eighth minute from inside the box, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain went closest for Liverpool when he saw a shot pushed away by Clarets 'keeper Nick Pope.
Having not had much of the ball in the opening 25 minutes, the home side grew into the half and Scott Arfield shot just past the post in the 38th minute.
Both sides continued to struggle to create clear chances in the second half, but Mane put Liverpool ahead in the 61st minute with a brilliant goal, controlling well and drilling a shot past Pope from just inside the box.
Pope then saved well from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Oxlade-Chamberlain while Barnes volleyed narrowly wide at the other end.
Burnley threw on Sam Vokes and Nahki Wells in a bid to snatch an equaliser and it was the former who flicked on a cross for Gudmundsson to finish at the back post with a stooping header.
That looked as though it would be enough to ensure a draw, until Dejan Lovren headed a free-kick goalwards in the 94th minute and Klavan headed in almost on the line.
Source: Sky Sports
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