LONDON: Liverpool’s poor run of form continued as they lost for the first time in 69 home Premier League games thanks to a 1-0 defeat to Burnley at Anfield.

Liverpool’s last league loss at Anfield came nearly four years ago against Crystal Palace, and they are now six points behind leaders Manchester United at the midway point in the campaign.

Since beating Crystal Palace 7-0 Liverpool have failed to win in five Premier League games and they haven’t scored in their last four, something that Divock Origi could not alter after he was handed a rare start.

He came closest for the home team, smashing a one-on-one against the crossbar in the first half after a mistake from Ben Mee, but was withdrawn in the second period as Jurgen Klopp turned to substitutes Mo Salah and Roberto Firmino.

Neither could make the difference, though, and the home team paid for their lack of spark in the final third when Alisson brought down Ashley Barnes in the penalty area in the 83rd minute.

Barnes converted the spot-kick to ensure Burnley’s first victory at Anfield in 46 years and condemn Liverpool to a rare but crucial home defeat as they lost further ground on the teams at the top of the table.

Barnes told Sky Sports: “What a shift from the lads. Great team performance and luckily we’ve come away with three points. We believe in every game, that was no different today, we knew it was going to be tough but we were resilient, we stayed to our shape and it paid off.

“We knew if we keep believing we will get something. We were growing into the game. We managed to stick to our jobs, slow everything down, and it worked.”

On his 100th goal, Barnes said: “It’s massive, every goal’s massive, but it’s the next one that’s more important.”

The striker played down his spat just after the half-time whistle with Fabinho, saying: “Bit of handbags, one of them. He just gave us a little kick after. It’s football, you just get on with it.”

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