Burnley v Liverpool live: Salah penalty grabs late win for the Reds
Burnley 0-1 Liverpool: Stoppage-time penalty from Mo Salah earns Reds a narrow win at Turf Moor
Liverpool earned a last-gasp win over Burnley in the Premier League on Sunday thanks to a 95th-minute penalty from Mo Salah.
All of the pre-match talk had been about new Liverpool signing Alexander Isak missing out on the squad and for much of the game it looked a mistake as the Reds toiled at Turf Moor, with the first half coming and going without any notable chances as the hosts dug in deep.
Arne Slot‘s side came out with more tempo in the second half and continued their complete domination without managing to fashion many clear-cut chances, though they were given an advantage as Lesley Ugochukwu slid in late on Florian Wirtz to get himself a second booking.
The 10 men dug in deep over the last 10 minutes but they were denied a deserved point as Hannibal Mejbri reached out an arm to give the champions a late penalty.
And Salah duly stepped up to rifle into the back of the Burnley net and take the three points with pretty much the last kick of the game, as the defending champions retain their 100 per cent record in the 2025/26 campaign.
Follow all the reaction from Burnley v Liverpool, below
Slot on Isak omission: 'You make a choice for a good reason'
Arne Slot also went into detail on BBC Match of the Day on the decision to leave Alexander Isak out of the squad for today: “You make a choice for a good reason, for a good argument. That choice was because he missed out for four months on team training.
“He's in his second or third week of pre-season. We have given him a proper week and then we think maybe he will get more than 10 or 15 minutes in our Wednesday game and that's the way to build him up. He needs proper playing time but also build him up so he has a good base.”
Earlier, he told Sky Sports: “Now he is ready to play at least 45 minutes. Let's see if we will use that on Wednesday or on Saturday.”
I was shocked with the added time - Arne Slot
Arne Slot tells Sky Sports: “I settled really bad because after 90 minutes when I saw how much added time there was I was shocked. I was still shocked when we got the penalty because five minutes of added time for me was unbelievable. Shocked and then happy Mo scored the penalty.
“It wasn't a game we created a lot of chances, it is hard against a team who plays in their box. We kept playing, we kept moving the ball around. They got more and more tired which is normal when you have to defend for 80% of time and then we got as many attackers on as possible.
“Difficult game but all of them are in the Premier League. A clean sheet and from open play we hardly concede a chance. That's a good thing.
“It is normal and a lot of new players, we will get better and better but in the meantime we have 12 points.”
Liverpool top of the league
Liverpool end this weekend top of the Premier League table with 12 points, three points clear of Arsenal in second - that feels familiar.
Burnely are 17th, level on 3 points with 16th-placed Man City and 18th-placed West Ham, although City may pull clear this afternoon.
'My team epitomised spirit' - Scott Parker
More from Scott Parker. “I've seen disappointments in my time and my career. At times we survived like our life depended on it today. We knew we had to give that.
“The overriding factor here is that everything we set about to be today I am immensely proud of the players. The game ends in a real heartbreaking way for us. It is what it is.
“We just fell a little bit short with the last-minute penalty.
“We needed to deny space, that was critical for us, and we did that. We defended very, very well. We didn't look much of a threat going forward but it is what it is. We are trying to get a result and we are trying to survive it is just a shame the way it ended.
“My team today epitomised spirit.”
'We will have to train with hands behind the back' - Scott Parker
Scott Parker tries to strike an optimistic note, telling Sky Sports: “It is handball. In the law of it it is handball. We will have to change in the technique of defending things with hands behind the back. But really proud of the team.
“I have been in the arena, I know how quick things move. His body action was turning and his arm has gone out. The ball is probably coming at 80mph and it has hit it. The only learning for Hannibal is that we will have to train with hands behind the back.”
'Very unfortunate' - Burnley's Hjalmar Ekdal
Now for Burnley. Hjalmar Ekdal tells Sky Sports: “Of course it's a mistake and he knows it. We told him [Hannibal Mejbri] afterwards that it happens. It's very unfortunate.
“We did such a good game, keeping it tight and hoping to see the game through then this moment comes. Of course it's going to happen. It's so typical and not a nice moment.
“It's one mistake in the end. Last week it cost us and it's very unfortunate. We are doing a good game, following our game plan and we are a few seconds from one point. It just feels typical to concede those types of goal.
“We followed our game plan so well it became hard for them. We knew how to play and everyone was sticking to it. I think we have to be happy with the performance. Both last week and this week we are so close to getting a point.”
'Mo is world class' - Van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk is next to speak to Sky Sports. “We obviously try to break teams down. We had to be patient and had to be ready. We just kept looking for the goal and the opportunities. A well deserved win but if I am Burnley it is never nice to concede a penalty.
“At the end of the day it was a penalty and Mo scored it perfectly. He is a world class player and we know he can deliver in these moments.
“Key today was not to get frustrated. It could have been a draw as well but we take the three points and move on to Wednesday.”
'We don't give up' - Salah
Let’s hear from Salah, shall we. “Tough opponent today, we tried our best to get the ball between the lines. It was tough but I am glad we managed it.
“We have a few new players in the starting line up and it takes time to adapt to our game and we try our best to make them confident in our game.
“We don't give up. We try and push ourselves to the limit and as team we did that.”
Salah writes history once again
That late penalty from Mohamed Salah has seen him become Liverpool’s record league scorer from the spot: his 35th converted penalty sees him move clear of Billy Liddell’s 34.
And he’s also moved clear of Andy Cole on the Premier League’s all-time scorers list, with one more on 188. Fourth overall - how much higher can he climb?
FULL-TIME! Burnley 0-1 Liverpool
Next up
Liverpool’s next match comes against Atletico Madrid at Anfield as the Reds begin their Champions League campaign on Wednesday.
That’s followed by huge Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield in Saturday’s early kick-off (20 September).
Burnley will play Nottingham Forest at home next, with that match kicking off at 3pm on Saturday.
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