5 talking points from Liverpool's 3-1 win over Burnley

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Here are five talking points from Liverpool 3-1 Burnley. The Reds got back on track in the Premier League at Anfield.

Flu outbreak

Jurgen Klopp made it clear going into this one that Liverpool had flu problems in the squad. Joe Gomez was out as a result and, as we found out an hour before kick-off, Alisson Becker wouldn't be available either.

Add that to Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Thiago, Conor Bradley and Joel Matip - the Reds did not have a full squad here, far from it.

Trent Alexander-Arnold even went off at half-time here. Liverpool players are dropping like flies and at the worst possible time as the games just keep getting bigger.

Clean sheets?

Okay, so a negative after a 3-1 win but it is a bit worrying. Liverpool now haven't kept a clean sheet in their last five games - equalling their longest run of the season.

The Reds just can't keep things tight at the back, even if the goal Burnley scored wasn't an atrocious one to concede. It was a fantastic header, in truth, and sometimes that just happens on corners.

But Liverpool do need to learn how to keep clean sheets again. There's a cup final coming up, some massive knockout games, and a title-race that will likely be determined by a couple of points.

Front-three

Klopp started Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz up top here and all three delivered. They scored a goal each - all headers, funnily enough - and proved decisive.

It can't be understated how important that is. Liverpool's greatest team was built on a front-three who all delivered when needed. The team is rapidly building a new trio who can do similar - and that's while Mohamed Salah is out injured. The Egyptian will be back to be added to this trio.

And Cody Gakpo! He's got nine goals himself this season and came off the bench here. The firepower at Anfield is on another level.

Harvey Elliott

Harvey Elliott has had a bizarre season. 20 Premier League appearances now but only three of them have been starts. That's despite his stats over the first half of the campaign looking fantastic.

He came on at half-time against Burnley and in the end, he was the one who made the difference. Two assists - one for Luis Diaz and another for Darwin Nunez - won the game.

It now means that despite the lack of starts, Elliott has the same number of Premier League assists this season as his other two seasons combined. He needed this.

Elliott proved he can be a decisive, match-winning Premier League player. Perhaps that means we see more of him over the coming months.

Back on track

Liverpool desperately needed a win after the disappointment at Arsenal last week. Even with the injuries, there wasn't really any room for another slip-up here.

And despite the extra challenge with absences, Liverpool got the three points and can move forward. Another three points next weekend would provide fantastic momentum going into the Carabao Cup final.

But hopefully, the squad is a little bit bigger when the Reds head to Brentford.

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