Micah Richards believes Liverpool’s late 1-0 victory at Turf Moor was “cruel” on Burnley, but Roy Keane rightly disagreed with his claim they deserved a draw.
It took until the end of stoppage time for Liverpool to find their breakthrough, and it came in unfortunate circumstances for a stubborn Burnley.
Jeremie Frimpong‘s cross struck Hannibal Mejbri’s arm and a penalty was awarded, with Mohamed Salah firing in to maintain the champions’ 100 percent record so far.
But it came in a game that saw Liverpool – as the away side – enjoy 81 percent of the possession and make 27 attempts on goal to Burnley‘s three.
When it comes to expected goals the scoreline was 0.13-2.65, highlighting that even without the penalty Arne Slot‘s side deserved the win.
Speaking as part of Sky Sports’ post-match coverage, Richards gave a sympathetic view of Burnley‘s defeat, saying: “World-class players, that’s what they do: turn up in the big moments.
“He got his goal, but Burnley…I think it’s so cruel, isn’t it?
“Man sent off, still dealing with the threat – in fairness to Slot, he changed it, put Frimpong down there which caused the penalty – but they didn’t deserve that.
“A draw was a fair result.”
Sat alongside Richards in the Sky Sports studio, former Man United midfielder Keane provided a more realistic assessment.
“Burnley showed a lot of grit but Liverpool deserved to win the game by the way they dominated,” he argued.
“Liverpool lacked quality, their final pass was so off today – but we were sitting there thinking they would get one more chance.
“And with Burnley, there’s a bit of madness at the end just like at Old Trafford (last time out when they conceded another late penalty to lose 3-2).
“When you come up, you have got to give yourself a bit of a chance.
“It’s not as if Hannibal’s unlucky. It’s madness, it’s cost them a point. And a point would have felt like a win. So it does knock them.
“Liverpool stuck at it, you have to keep going until the end. That’s what the top teams do.”
Ultimately, while there can be sympathy for Burnley given how late they conceded, they are simply facing the reality of competing in the Premier League.
Having dominated the Championship with 100 points from 46 games they are now forced to adapt and at times rely on fortune in order to grind out results – which is rarely the case against a side as accomplished as Liverpool.