Well before full-time, Jurgen Klopp’s face was as moody as the sombre sky that hung over Lancashire. With 81 per cent possession, 26 shots on target, 12 corners and 852 passes to Burnley’s 207, Liverpool were undone 2-0 on Saturday afternoon.
From the riveting 4-3 victory over Arsenal last weekend, in which the Reds were unplayable for a 15-minute period after the second half, they depreciated to look like they had forgotten how to play against Sean Dyche’s side.
The discussion in the days preceding the encounter centered around the club’s problem position, with James Milner coming for the under-fire Alberto Moreno. Despite the alteration, it was as though Liverpool were left back on the bus in the opening spell at Turf Moor.
The hosts were rapid, aggressive and positive from the first whistle, catching Klopp’s side cold. It worked with Sam Vokes putting them a goal to the good after just two minutes.
Nathaniel Clyne ceded possession and Andre Gray fed the Welshman, who turned superbly and stuck the ball in the top corner. The provider nearly turned scorer shortly afterwards too, but for a last-ditch intervention by Dejan Lovren.
Such a strong start from Burnley allowed them to gift Liverpool possession, stay compact and wait to profit on the counter.
The Merseysiders planned to draw them out, but were not patient or surgical enough in their approach, leading to mistakes which Burnley were happy to exploit.
One such error saw Steven Defour slice the the Reds open on the break before playing in Gray. The 25-year-old showed fine feet and composure to shift two markers and find the far corner.
Jamie Carragher, sat on the broadcast table, was hounded by supporters after the celebration for the second as the ground transformed into a cauldron of noise.
The former Liverpool defender already seemed staggered by proceedings, before being taunted with shouts of ‘Jamie, Jamie, what’s the score?’
Between both goals - too easily gifted - Liverpool owned the ball, but struggled to use it effectively. The midfield, overloaded with numbers, lacked nous and inspiration.
REPORT: Vokes & Gray fire Burnley past Liverpool
Their inability to trouble the hosts in turn troubled them, leading to poor decision-making and no penetration.
“It’s not allowed that you suffer under your own ball possession, that makes no sense. It’s not that we didn’t want it – six or seven times Phil [Coutinho] alone was in the right position to shoot," explained Klopp.
“In England you use the word ‘clinical’ – in a lot of situations I saw we were clinical but even then we didn’t score. That’s how it is and we have to accept it.
“I will watch the game again and I am pretty sure I will not see a lot of surprises in this game, I saw everything. When we conceded the first goal, we had a lot of time to win the game.
“Even at half-time I felt there was still a possibility to do it. In the last moments, we were not where we should have been and that was a little bit of the problem, in the box, around the box.
“I saw crosses – really good crosses – when nobody was in the box. I saw shots when the whole box was full.
“Our timing and decision-making today was not really good. It might have been forced by the result and by the passion of the opponent, but it is how it is.”
Burnley were hardly ever uncomfortable in the clash, and were fully deserving of the victory having executed their gameplan to perfection.
It was the absolute opposite for Liverpool, who knew what was required to get the better of the two banks of four, but had no answers for how to achieve it.
“It was a difficult game for us. We lost the ball in the wrong moments, in open moments, counter-attack and counter-pressing," added Klopp.
The Reds made mistakes in the worst possible situations, but the wake-up call perhaps comes at the perfect time.
Falling short against a stacked defence has been a familiar theme for Liverpool, but Klopp has to make sure it becomes a thing of the past - and quick.
> ..... - Goal