LONDON: Liverpool can still dream. Just. A sixth successive win in all competitions and third in a row in the Premier League by 1-0 at Burnley kept them in second spot.

Manager Jurgen Klopp’s men are a full nine points behind Manchester City but they have one game in hand and, theoretically, victory away to the leaders on April 9 could recover a little more ground ahead of what would become a tense run-in.

This is super-optimism but if there is one club which has been rewarded down the years by a belief in football miracles then Liverpool are that club.

The victory which pushed bottom club Burnley closer to relegation was delivered by a 40th-minute goal from Fabinho after Sadio Mane, back after his triumphant African Cup campaign with Senegal, flicked on a corner from Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Fabinho’s first shot was blocked by keeper Nick Pope but the Brazilian followed up to score his fifth goal in seven games.

Klopp said: “Everything today was set up to be a banana skin for us. The balls in the air were so tricky to defend because the wind came from all directions. We played the circumstances rather than suffered from them. Burnley had their moments but we dealt with it pretty well.

“We like each other, we respect each other. We had to work incredibly hard and that is what the boys did. We made our shirts dirty. I am really happy because I know how difficult it is to come here. Absolutely satisfied.”

City’s easy 4-0 win at Norwich on Saturday had seen Raheem Sterling become the club’s player to score a ‘perfect’ hat-trick of right foot, header and left foot in the Premier League. Phil Foden scored City’s other goal before Sterling completed his treble by tapping home after seeing a last-minute penalty saved. It was his fifth Premier League hat-trick.

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