Dave Thornley adds his thoughts to yet another Clarets defeat in what has become a very chastening season for Burnley Football Club and its supporters.

Whilst it is no disgrace to be defeated by an in-form and title-chasing Liverpool at their formidable Anfield home, and defeated by a margin which brought no disgrace whatsoever to the club.

It is nevertheless galling that the goals which Burnley conceded in yesterday’s Premier League match were largely a reoccurrence of the defensive problems which have haunted the Clarets throughout this miserable and traumatic season.

In many ways, yesterday’s match followed very similar lines to the two teams’ previous meeting on Boxing Day; Burnley conceded early but worked their way back into the game to an extent which caused Liverpool some inconvenience, but in the end the Reds’ superior class won out.

Annoyingly however, it was the recurring nightmare of set-piece defending which allowed Liverpool’s Diogo Jota an easy header at the far post. James Trafford flapping at Alexander-Arnold’s corner and colliding with Dara O’Shea in the process. Burnley don’t concede from every corner they are obliged to defend, it just seems like it.

With a goal under their belt, it would be safe to assume that Liverpool would ease their way through to a comfortable win. They did, but not before O’Shea planted a superb header from Josh Brownhill’s corner, into the Liverpool goal from pretty much on the penalty spot.

It was good while it lasted but as ever, it’s the hope that kills you. After 52 minutes, more tragi-comic defending, this time trying to play out from the back another recurring theme of the season, and an un-punished foul on Aaron Ramsey combined to allow Luis Diaz to score at the near post with a diving header.

The brains trust at VAR HQ at Stockley Park pored over the footage at length before concluding that Diaz’s forehead had not strayed offside but didn’t bother looking at the foul on Ramsey.

Burnley, though, did carve out two good chances at 2-1 down; both to Fofana, the first blocked by Kelleher in the Liverpool goal, with Wilson Odobert snatching at the rebound and sending it high into the stands; and the second an angled shot which went narrowly wide of the post.

Darwin Nunez’s skilful header wrapped up the points for Liverpool late in the game.

Vincent Kompany received a yellow card, which will cause him the watch next week’s home game with Arsenal from the stands, but before that, he has a lot of work to do to try and mend the holes in his defensive bucket.

As with Burnley’s visit to Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium at the end of last month, this was a defeat which Clarets fans expected, but wasn’t the hammering we feared and, in a season, where any comfort, however miniscule, is seized upon, that is probably as much as we could have hoped for.

Next up it is Arsenal at Turf Moor. Does not get any easier, does it? (TEC.)

Attachment 25709