BURNLEY, England: Mohamed Salah’s stoppage-time penalty ensured Liverpool maintained their winning start to the Premier League season with a 1-0 victory at promoted side Burnley on Sunday.
With British record signing Alexander Isak forced to wait for his Liverpool debut having been left out the squad for the trip to Lancashire, the champions struggled to break down a dogged home side in the first half.
After a regroup at the break, the visitors upped the ante in the second half, with Dominik Szoboszlai finally forcing a fine save from Martin Dubravka in the Burnley goal.
Burnley were holding on for a well-earned point with ease, before the ball agonizingly struck substitute Hannibal Mejbri’s arm in the penalty area and Salah slotted the spot kick into the net in the 95th minute to break home hearts.
Liverpool are still to really get going this season, requiring a winner in the last 10 minutes of all four of their league victories so far. The goal that clinched an undeserved success at Turf Moor was certainly the most fortunate.
“I know how hard it is to create chances against a team that’s with 11 players in their 18-yard box,” Liverpool coach Arne Slot said.
“I’m not saying anything negative about them, just trying to explain how difficult it is against a Premier League team, because they are very good players as well.”
After one of the longest transfer sagas in Premier League history finally reached its expected conclusion, Liverpool supporters had hoped for their first glimpse of their £125-million ($169.45-million) goal machine.
While Slot said this week that Isak would have to be utilized carefully due to his previous injuries and lack of action so far this season, the Swede was still expected to at least be on the bench at Turf Moor.
But the wait goes on as, without their expensive new forward, Liverpool mustered just one shot on target in the first half, from left-back Andrew Robertson.
Burnley, who conceded the fewest goals in English football league history last term to earn them promotion, otherwise frustrated the champions with ease. Even Lesley Ugochukwu’s red card for two bookings in the 84th minute did not seem to fluster them.
Even without Isak, Liverpool still had much attacking talent on the Turf Moor pitch but they just could not find that killer pass.
Salah was especially below par but he made no mistake in the most pressurised moment after Hannibal had stuck up an arm to block Jeremie Frimpong’s cross.
“The overriding factor here is that everything we set about to be today, I am immensely proud of the players,” Burnley coach Scott Parker said. “The game ends in a real heartbreaking way for us. It is what it is.”
The champions’ impressive Premier League goalscoring streak stretches to 38 games nonetheless, their longest such run in the competition.
Salah has now scored 188 Premier League goals, moving ahead of Andrew Cole into outright fourth in the top goalscorers chart.
Last-gasp Salah penalty earns Liverpool victory at Burnley
https://arab.news/88ff5
Last-gasp Salah penalty earns Liverpool victory at Burnley
- British record signing Alexander Isak forced to wait for his Liverpool after being left out the squad
- Below-par Liverpool maintain winning start to Premier League season
Lovesick Blues looking for better showing in Riyadh Dirt Sprint
- Having finished sixth in Breeders’ Cup, the sprinter goes again for trainer Librado Barocio
RIYADH: Mia Familia Racing Stable’s hard-knocking American sprinter Lovesick Blues (US) will bid to atone for a luckless Breeders’ Cup run in Saturday’s group two $2-million Riyadh Dirt Sprint Presented by Saudi National Bank.
Trainer Librado Barocio’s grey son of Grazen is part of a formidable US trio for the race that includes group two Santa Anita Sprint Championship winner Imagination (US) and group three Elite Power Stakes winner Just Beat the Odds (US).
The nine-time winner from 43 starts was last seen finishing sixth in the group one Breeders’ Cup Sprint after a tough trip.
“After the Breeders’ Cup I was always dreaming of coming to places like Saudi Arabia and Dubai,” Barocio said.
“He got a really bad trip in the Breeders’ Cup. He got squeezed and was left like 10 lengths behind, but then he started really closing. Unfortunately, then he couldn’t find room.
“He had to keep going inside and outside of horses down the stretch and in the end gets beat by about six lengths for the whole thing. He came back after the race and he was mad.
“After the Breeders’ Cup I said, ‘you know what, let’s focus on the big races and see what he can do,’ and that’s what we’re doing. He’s got an attitude, which I like, and he has his quirks. You just have to know him and I know he’s doing great.”
Lovesick Blues continued his preparation with a proper leg-stretcher around the King Abdulaziz Racecourse dirt track on Sunday morning with exercise rider Danny Ramsey in the saddle.
“I’m excited and was happy with that,” Barocio said.
“I like to give him a little open gallop for a couple furlongs to give him a feel for the track and let his muscles get loose. I like the way he did that and I like that he was on his toes coming off the track. He’s something else. All signs point to a great day, hopefully, so far.”
Climbing his way up gradually from the claiming ranks, though the allowance conditions, and ultimately becoming an earner of $830,000, it now seems that Lovesick Blues is at his peak at age 8.
“He’s ready to go,” Barocio said. “I won’t do much more with him. He will have a couple of easy days and jog on the training track, then come to the main track another day, then jog on the small track the day before the race.
“Before coming here, he had some really good works and I think I have him ready. Danny said he’s really liking the track, so all we can do is pray at this point and keep dreaming.”
