Liverpool chant speaks volumes as Dominik Szoboszlai frustration clear - 5 talking points vs Burnley

Florian Wirtz did his best but Liverpool struggled to create many chances against a resolute Burnley, who leveled through Marcus Edwards. This is what we spotted.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.(Image: Oli SCARFF / AFP via Getty Images)

ANFIELD, LIVERPOOL // Florian Wirtz was the stand-out performer for Liverpool but Arne Slot was left frustrated again as side failed to move far enough ahead in the game and was punished.

Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai missed a first-half penalty won by Cody Gakpo, who was adjudged to have been brought down inside the area. The Hungarian, though, didn't look set to be made to pay for hitting the bar because Wirtz broke the deadlock before the halfway point.

Marcus Edwards drew Burnley level, however, when the Reds didn't extend their lead. Here are the five things Liverpool.com spotted as the game unfolded.

Florian Wirtz stands out

Scott Parker's last visit to Anfield came when his Bournemouth team lost 9-0 to Liverpool in August 2022, but Arne Slot can only dream of such free-flowing, attacking play at the moment.

Liverpool has been accused of being 'boring' for much of the last month or so, even while results have improved, and the last time the Reds played at home in the Premier League, it struggled to break down the low block of Leeds United.

Wirtz disappointed with his performance on that occasion, though it turned out that he was playing through a minor injury issue, and here, it was the 22-year-old who made the difference.

After Szoboszlai's penalty miss, Wirtz was the man to find a way through the Burnley defense. His shot just before half-time was well placed and unstoppable from close range, but he was a livewire before that too; a creative hub.

By far, Wirtz was the best of those in a Liverpool jersey. He just needed a bit more from those around him, with the crowd's chants of 'Attack, attack, attack' speaking volumes.

Curtis Jones heading in the right direction

Curtis Jones was selected ahead of Alexis Mac Allister here — as likely because of the Champions League game coming up midweek and then the trip to Bournemouth, with rotation in mind — and it was hard to work out exactly where he was playing.

Starting on the right, Jones then popped up in the center and on the left. It was his calm pass to Wirtz that saw Liverpool move ahead on the day. After a slow-ish start to the game, he got into things much more, playing the ball into Gakpo when he was fouled for the penalty too.

With a far from unlimited number of midfield options for Slot to choose from at the moment, there is absolutely a starting place to be nailed down for Jones. This was another mainly good performance after a good few weeks for the Liverpool number 17.

Hugo Ekitike offers latest glimpse

Back in for his first start since January 1, Hugo Ekitike offered more of a focal point up top for Liverpool. His relationship with Wirtz is really coming along and there are real signs that he can link things really nicely.

There was never going to be loads of space to run into here, but Ekitike is a technically gifted number nine. He can finish well and has no issues with linking things up, especially with players making good runs around him; he has the potential to be the full package.

Milos Kerkez improving

While he wasn't perfect, and he was booked for a late tackle, this was another good step in the right direction for Milos Kerkez. The $54 million (£40 million) summer addition has taken some time to settle in, but has really looked more composed in recent games.

Here, Kerkez got into some great positions down the left flank. Early on, he should have shot when he tried to cross, and some of his balls into the box were a little hopeful, but he was direct and full of purpose throughout.

There is still a lot more to come, clearly, and he still needs to work on his relationship with Cody Gakpo, who should have passed to him more on the outside, but this was a good performance.

Premier League chance missed

Manchester United beat Manchester City — and deservedly — in the Old Trafford derby earlier in the day, moving ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League standings.

With Chelsea hosting Brentford, at least one of those teams had to drop points. Meanwhile, Newcastle United plays Wolves tomorrow in a game that it will almost certainly win.

The race for the Champions League spots is hotting up and for that reason, Liverpool, playing what should be, on paper, one of its easiest matches of the season at home to Burnley — along with Wolves, the worst side in the division — simply had to win.