Burnley vs Liverpool match report: Jurgen Klopp's side brought back down to earth by organised Clarets

Burnley 2 Liverpool 0: A pair of lethal strikes from Sam Vokes and Andre Gray were enough to sink the lacklustre Reds

Gray celebrates doubling Burnley's lead before half-time (Getty)

Sam Vokes and Andre Gray each recorded their first Premier League goals and Burnley their first league victory over Liverpool since 1974 on a frustrating afternoon for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

For Vokes, without a top flight goal in 27 previous attempts, the goal could prove particularly important while Klopp, critical of his team’s defending in last week’s 4-3 victory at Arsenal, learned he may have even more work to do in that area than he first feared.

Burnley, keen to respond to an opening day home defeat to Swansea, took just two minutes to take control of the game when Vokes scored the first Premier League goal of his career, in his 28th appearance at this level.

The goal was the result of appalling play by full-back Nathaniel Clyne who, in attempting to play the ball out of defence, simply fed it directly to Gray who in turn found Vokes, on the edge of the area. A simple turn and shot into the bottom corner was all that was needed to open Burnley’s goalscoring account for the new campaign.

It quickly became apparent that Burnley would concede possession and space to their visitors but that did not prevent them from adding a second goal, after 37 minutes, through Gray, the striker who found the net 23 times in guiding them to promotion last season.

Vokes shoots from the edge of the box to open the scoring (Getty)

Again, the goal was the result of poor defending as Ragnar Klavan dove into win the ball around halfway, allowing Burnley debutant Steven Defour to come away and advance to the edge of the area where he found Gray.

The prolific forward was again allowed opportunity to shake off a challenge and steady himself before planting an impressive, low finish into the bottom corner of Simon Mignolet’s goal.

Burnley, losers of their four previous Premier League meetings against Liverpool and without even a solitary goal to show for their efforts, were seeking a first league win over their opponents in 42 years.

The chances of recording that looked slim, even after the opening goal, as Liverpool pressed forward and placed the home goal under pressure.

Klopp saw his side put in a meek performance at Turf Moor (Getty)

Indeed, it was hard not to think that Gray missing a third minute chance to double the lead, when he was sent racing into the area by George Boyd but stopped by Dejan Lovren, would prove costly.

Daniel Sturridge and Georginio Wijnaldum sent long shots wide, Phillipe Coutinho did likewise with a curling effort from 20 yards and James Milner picked out Adam Lallana who swivelled and saw his shot comfortably held by Tom Heaton.

Sturridge, again from the edge of the area, and Clyne from similar range peppered the goal but when the technically excellent Coutinho cut in, made space for himself just inside the Burnley area but succeeded only in clearing the bar by feet, a Liverpool comeback looked increasingly unlikely.

They started the second half in similar fashion, Sturridge sending a low shot whistling beyond the far post, Wijnaldum laying the ball off for Coutinho to shoot too close to Heaton then Firmino seeing the home goalkeeper make a fine, two-handed save to deny his 20-yard attempt.

Coutinho, yet again, missed the target, this time with a volley from the edge of the home area after a corner had been cleared directly to him, and Gray continued to cause problems on the break at the other end, notably in the 65th minute when he made space and shot just wide, left-footed from 20 yards.

Heaton was required to make a fingertip save to keep out a shot from Marko Grujic after the substitute showed good strength from 18 yards but, for all their possession, Liverpool failed to seriously test the home goalkeeper again.

“Possession doesn’t win you games,” Dyche said after the game. “That myth came out a few years ago and Leicester proved it was a myth last year.

“Liverpool had five or six men in midfield at all times and if I did that I would have the ball for a long time. But that doesn’t win you the game. I want to penetrate, create and take chances.

“I don’t think there will be many teams who get the ball as much as Liverpool, they get so many bodies in there, and it takes concentration and focus from the players to see through that and see they’re not hurting us that much and that we will have breakaways and counters."

Klopp bemoaned his players' luck and decision-making, on a day when their opponents scored with their only shots on target.

"How can I be happy with this?” said Klopp. “When we gave away the first goal they defended for their lives. Both of their strikers Andre Gray and Sam Vokes are really hard workers.

"We had absolutely no luck and everybody needs to be more clinical. We have to accept it. Burnley deserved to win with a very passionate performance. We have to say it was not enough today.

“We know we lost a game in which we had 80 per cent possession today but there are different ways to play football. That’s okay. But when we conceded the early goal, life was not over, we had a lot of time to win the game. And even at half-time, I felt we still had the possibility of it. But our timing and decision making really was not good.”

Burnley (4-4-2): Heaton 7; Lowton 7, Keane 8, Mee 7, Ward 8; Boyd 7, Marney 7, Defour 7 (Gudmundsson 57, 7), Arfield 7; Vokes 7 (Jutkiewicz 82), Gray 9 (O’Neill 90).

Substitutes (not used) Robinson, Tarkowski, Kightly, Darikwa.

Liverpool (4-3-3): Mignolet 6; Clyne 5, Lovren 6, Klavan 5, Milner 7 (Moreno 78, 6); Lallana 7 (Grujic 78, 6), Henderson 8, Wijnaldum 6; Sturridge 6 (Origi 66, 6), Firmino 6, Coutinho 5.

Substitutes (not used) Manninger, Can, Matip, Stewart.

Referee: L Mason 6