Liverpool given huge lift by livewire Lallana

Liverpool have lacked creative guile in central midfield throughout the campaign; as opponents drop deeper, the front three have struggled to find space in which to exchange passes, leading to a worrying sequence of draws over the last few weeks.

They may have found an answer to this dilemma in Adam Lallana, deployed in a left-sided central midfield role to superb effect against Burnley on Sunday.

His one-touch passes and clever runs down the left channel caused problems for the Clarets, giving Liverpool a directness and urgency that would have been lacking with Jordan Henderson in the same position.

But, more importantly, Lallana’s mere presence in the final third drew Burnley defenders towards him, meaning quick switches to the opposite flank saw Mohamed Salah in more space than he has been used to getting this season. It is no coincidence that Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Salah looked like their old selves on a day Lallana was squirrelling around in midfield.

Lallana’s cross-field pass released Salah to create Liverpool’s opener, and then his block tackle set up the second.

He might not have recorded any goals or assists, but Lallana’s performance did not go unnoticed. He will likely start several of Liverpool's remaining league matches against bottom-half clubs.

Lallana successful passes vs Burnley