Burnley star made frantic hospital dash immediately after final whistle against Liverpool

A Burnley player rushed to hospital shortly after the final whistle against Liverpool, however Scott Parker has revealed the reason why, downplaying injury concerns

Burnley boss Scott Parker explained the reason for Axel Tuanzebe's swift exit(Image: Getty Images)

Axel Tuanzebe made a swift exit down the Anfield tunnel following Burnley’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool.

The 28-year-old defender played an important role as Scott Parker's side left Anfield with a potentially vital point in its battle to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

While Parker, his staff and the Burnley squad stayed on the pitch to exchange handshakes with their Liverpool counterparts, Tuanzebe was quickly escorted back to the dressing room.

The defender later reappeared briefly, passing the away end at the Anfield Road stand before being taken straight out of the stadium. His hurried departure was due to his wife going into labor, with Burnley having arranged transport to take him directly to hospital.

Tuanzebe’s availability had been in doubt before kick-off, as his partner was already expecting ahead of the match. The Burnley boss explained after the game: “This has been ongoing now for the last probably 12-16 hours, so Axel was a bit touch and go today.

“We had everything in place: car, practically with its engine on, so obviously he had to rush off because it looks like his wife's gone into labour, so he's down the road now dealing with that.”

Tuanzebe joined Burnley on a free transfer from relegated Ipswich last summer and has since made 11 appearances for the Clarets.

The Democratic Republic of Congo international was immediately restored to the starting XI upon returning from the Africa Cup of Nations and is expected to keep his place when Burnley host Tottenham next weekend.

Axel Tuanzebe left Anfield shortly after the final whistle(Image: Getty Images)

Liverpool dropped further points at Anfield as Marcus Edwards’ second-half equalizer secured Burnley a 1-1 draw. Dominik Szoboszlai missed an early penalty, before Florian Wirtz appeared to put the Reds on course for a routine win.

Burnley, however, stayed in the contest and made the most of their moment when Edwards produced a clever finish beyond Alisson. Parker praised his players for capitalizing on their opportunity. "We had to weather a lot in the first half but we showed more of our quality in the second half," he said.

"We changed a few things at half-time, it was important we were still in the game then, we were braver in possession and well worthy of our goal. It was an incredible finish.

"The penalty was soft but once the referee gives it on-field it's never going to be overturned. The key for us was getting in at half-time still in the game so we could fix a few things."