An Emre Can wonder strike helped Liverpool stay in the top four hunt with a win over Burnley.

The visitors had stunned Anfield early on when Matthew Lowton’s floated cross into the far post found Ashley Barnes to slide home in front of the Kop.

But Georginio Wijnaldum pulled the Reds level by pouncing with a timely effort to pull the Reds level in the final minute of first-half stoppage time.

Shortly after the hour mark, Can completed the Reds’ comeback with a low strike that had Tom Heaton well beaten from 25 yards.

Here were the key talking points from Anfield:

Can will dictate his own contract

 

Negotiations between Emre Can’s representatives and Liverpool have reached an impasse over fees but Liverpool should allow the midfielder to set his own terms.

It is not enough that his winning strike temporarily fooled Anfield’s stadium announcer, who inadvertently added ‘Philippe’ to the scorer’s name-check.

The Germany international’s performances have been wildly inconsistent during the current campaign, vindicating the reluctance to double his current salary.

If Can believes that he is worth upward of £100,000 per week, he has to prove it with more than two stand-out showing against Burnley and Arsenal before them.

Coutinho’s struggles continue

 

Can’s defining moment was preceded by a left-field move from Jurgen Klopp.

Benching Philippe Coutinho is not a decision which the Liverpool manager will have taken lightly but his continued tribulations had made it an obvious choice.

The Brazilian playmaker has struggled since his return from injury and has finished just two of the 11 games played since his prolonged lay-off period.

Only twice has Coutinho completed 90 minutes of a game, both of them coming in defeats on the road against Hull and Leicester City respectively.

Any potential temptation for Klopp to demote his one-time talisman was tempered by his compatriot Roberto Firmino’s absence with a groin problem.

Coutinho remains one of the first names on the Reds’ team sheet but should consider himself fortunate that he remains in contention as things stand.

Parked buses myth finally debunked

 

Klopp described Burnley as the first ‘ugly game’ that his side had won. It wasn’t.

Liverpool’s record against teams outside of the Premier League’s top six had suggested that their undoing lies in coming up against parked buses. It isn’t.

Like Leicester before them, the Clarets firmly debunked that myth. Sean Dyche’s side, unlike their contemporaries, did not apply the handbrake; they put their pedal to the floor.

It was only when they found themselves chasing the game that they reduced themselves to the tactics which saw lesser sides emerge victorious from Anfield.

Were it not for Can’s match-winning effort, Burnley could have conceivably held on to secure only a paltry yet famous third point on their travels this season.

Admittedly scrappy in parts, the fact that Liverpool emerged victorious from

Home bird Wijnaldum is not for turning

 

Georginio Wijnaldum is not for turning; Liverpool’s no.5 has made that very clear.

Criticisms that the £25 million midfielder simply does not excel away from the comforts of Anfield continue to galvanise him, with such devastating effect.

A well-taken finish on the stroke of half time pulled the hosts level and extended his current streak to four goals in six previous outings on home soil.

Marrying that penchant for the target with equilibrium on the road may remain a work in progress but neither Wijnaldum, nor the Anfield crowd, will care much.