Nunez and Jota on the mark as Liverpool return to Premier League summit

BURNLEY 0-2 LIVERPOOL

Liverpool returned to the top of the Premier League as strikes from Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota gave them a 2-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor.

Nunez’s fifth-minute strike, his first in 13 games, set the Reds on their way, with Jota emerging from the bench to put the seal on a win that lifts them two points clear of Arsenal, who take on West Ham United on Wednesday.

And while Jurgen Klopp will undoubtedly wonder how his side did not win more comfortably here - both Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott had goals ruled out and Burnley ‘keeper James Trafford made a series of fine saves - the reality is that his side are firmly in the title picture at the halfway stage, an unexpected development given their summer turmoil.

Nunez was one of five players brought into Liverpool’s starting 11 by Klopp following the draw at Arsenal last Saturday, and his rotation was rewarded immediately as the former Benfica man delivered the opening goal inside six minutes.

It was a fine finish too, Nunez passing the ball into the corner from just outside the box after neat work from Cody Gakpo down the left, and Liverpool would have been two up a minute later were it not for a superb save from Trafford to deny Mo Salah.

Gakpo blazed off target after a mistake from Vitinho as the visitors threatened to run riot, although Josh Brownhill wasn’t far away with a 25-yarder that whistled past Alisson Becker’s left-hand post.

Nunez - playing down the middle - was a constant menace, just failing to find Salah with a backheel after a Dara O’Shea error and then seeing his low cross evade Gakpo in the six-yard box.

Gakpo had a goal ruled out for a foul by Nunez which looked soft at best, while Salah smacked a volley against the crossbar