Burnley 0 Liverpool 4:BURNLEY'S TRAIN-WRECK of a season reached its inevitable conclusion yesterday when they were condemned to relegation by a second-half drubbing from Liverpool, who kept alive their hopes of Champions League qualification by scoring four without needing to play particularly well.
To colossal disappointment, but no real surprise, the homespun team Owen Coyle brought up from the Championship last summer are returning whence they came under the inadequate management of Brian Laws who, since succeeding Coyle in January, has presided over two wins and 13 defeats in 16 Premier League matches.
It seems a long time now since Burnley announced themselves in elite company by winning their first four home games, with Manchester United and Everton among their scalps. Laws was unapologetic last night, and insisted he would still be in charge next season.
An eyebrow-raising appointment when he arrived shortly after his sacking by Sheffield Wednesday, he failed to shore up a sinking ship, but he is under contract for another two years and has already begun preparing for life at a level more in keeping with the means of a small-town club.
“For the last month we’ve been planning for next season,” he said. “We’ve drawn up Plan A and Plan B to cover both eventualities. I’ll be here next season and I’m looking forward to bouncing back.”
Rafael Benitez was also questioned about his future after a result which lifted Liverpool to within two points of fourth place in the table, their modest target for most of a disappointing season.
Benitez has repeatedly been linked with Juventus, but he laughed off suggestions he was being courted by the “Old Lady” of Turin. “Allegedly,” he said, with a big smile. So was he interested in the job? “Atletico Madrid is my target now,” he said, grinning enigmatically.
Liverpool are at home to Atletico on Thursday, when they seek to overturn a 1-0 deficit in their Europa League semi-final – a task more difficult after events yesterday. Already without Fernando Torres and his understudy, David Ngog, they have a doubt about their third choice centre forward, Dirk Kuyt, who injured a calf and was replaced in the second half.
Brian Jensen, the four-square Dane they call “The Beast”, has made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League, yet Burnley have kept the fewest clean sheets – just three.
That says it all about the poverty of their defensive play, while in attack nobody has managed more than eight league goals. Even below full strength, Liverpool are a class apart, and were able to rattle in four in the second half without finding top gear.
Such was the sterility of the first 45 minutes, the second half produced a welcome improvement, and a left-wing cross from Jack Cork found Steven Fletcher who somehow missed from six yards.
Reprieved, Liverpool took punitive advantage. Steven Gerrard put them ahead, his shot taking a big deflection off Leon Cort, but there was nothing fortunate about his second, seven minutes later, when he thrashed the ball past Jensen’s left hand from 25 yards.
Burnley supporters retained their sense of humour, responding to Scouse choruses of “Going Down” with their own “Going Bust”.
Fletcher rapped Jose Reina’s left-hand upright after 73 minutes, but Liverpool reasserted themselves for Maxi Rodriguez to score his first goal for the club at close range and Ryan Babel’s shot bobbled over the line for the fourth.
“It was a magnificent achievement getting into the Premier League, but at the end of the day, if you’re not good enough, you’re not,” said Laws. Burnley weren’t.
Are Liverpool good enough to finish fourth? With no strikers and Chelsea due at Anfield on Sunday, probably not. Guardian Service
