Darwin Núñez finishes off Burnley in front of Liverpool's record crowd at Anfield | first division

There was a sense of occasion in Liverpool's return to the top of the table. first division with the league's biggest crowd in Anfield's 132-year history present for Burnley's visit. There was also an undeniable sense that a title-chasing team possessed the fight, the options and the grit needed for another grueling run with Manchester City.

Jürgen Klopp's leaders were far from their fluid and relentless best against a Burnley team that wasted two one-on-ones at 2-1 and whose positive approach belied their humble position in the league. They had excuses at hand. Alisson was out through illness, as was Joe Gomez, while Trent Alexander-Arnold was forced off at half-time with a suspected recurrence of a knee injury.

“It's the same area on the same knee,” said a worried Liverpool coach, who also does not have the influence of Mohamed Salah and Dominic Szoboszlai. “She felt it when his cleats got stuck in the grass. We'll have to wait and see”.

But excuses never entered Liverpool's thinking. There was a reaction to the difficult circumstances of the match, with Curtis Jones proving a capable substitute at right-back and goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher making vital interventions, and to last weekend's defeat to Arsenal. Liverpool's three forwards, Diogo Jota, Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez, were all on the scoresheet before a league record attendance was reached which increased to 59,896 with the full opening of the new Anfield Road stand. “I'm very happy that many more people can see this wonderful team,” Klopp said. And to see a team forced to fight to return to the top by the visitors threatened by the relegation of Vincent Kompany.

The Liverpool manager reflected: “I have no problem fighting hard for a result. It was clear that this would be a difficult afternoon and that it would be about character. “The guys showed exactly what we needed.”

The reaction Klopp demanded after Arsenal were slow to come with Burnley starting brightly and stretching Liverpool on the counter-attack. Kelleher made his first big save when Zeki Amdouni broke away from Virgil van Dijk, while Andy Robertson, in his first start since October, blocked another good chance from David Datro Fofana. With Maxime Estève and Dara O'Shea impressing at the heart of Burnley's defence, Kompany's team looked comfortable. And then, with a lapse, they were left behind.

James Trafford will not remember his visit to Anfield fondly. The England Under-21 goalkeeper made a costly mistake when he came off his line to claim an Alexander-Arnold corner. Trafford collided with O'Shea and completely missed the ball, leaving Jota with the routine task of heading into an unprotected net. Jota didn't have to move to score his 14th goal of the season. “It's a bit harsh to highlight this with the performance he put in,” argued Kompany. “One of the other positions fell early.”

Klopp's frustration boiled over when Liverpool were denied a penalty for Wilson Odobert's grab on Jota. The Liverpool manager was booked for his protests and his mood deteriorated when Burnley equalized moments later. O'Shea timed his near post run perfectly from a Josh Brownhill corner. Towering above Liverpool's smaller duo of Diaz and Wataru Endo, the Burnley centre-back sent a thumping header into the top corner.

Harvey Elliott replaced Alexander-Arnold at half-time and played an important role in Liverpool's recovery. When Trafford put pressure on his team with a poor clearance, the hosts took advantage, pinning Burnley and winning possession through Endo. Elliott crossed to the near post where Díaz converted with a diving header. The goal stood after a lengthy VAR review for offside. Kompany was booked for joining Burnley's protests over a possible foul by Alexis Mac Allister on Aaron Ramsey in the build-up.

Kelleher made another key save as Fofana burst through the center of the Liverpool defence. The loose ball fell into the hands of Odobert, who had to score, but the left back missed wide. Fofana again found himself one-on-one with the Liverpool goalkeeper as Amdouni took advantage, but he fired a wayward shot past the post.

The tireless Núñez punished Burnley's waste. Elliott provided the assist again from the right, after Jota had tapped in from a Robertson corner, and from his floating cross the Uruguayan international did superbly to deflect an awkward header beyond Trafford.