LIVERPOOL, England (AP) – Liverpool scored a goal in the fourth minute of injury time to beat Burnley 2-1 away in the Premier League, while Mark Hughes’ job as Stoke manager was looking increasingly fragile after the team’s loss at home to Newcastle on Monday.
Ragnar Klavan headed home the winning goal at Turf Moor as Liverpool earned a hard-fought victory without three of its “Fab 4” attack, with Roberto Firmino demoted to the bench and both Philippe Coutinho and Mohamed Salah declared injured.
Sadio Mane was the only survivor and he scored Liverpool’s opening goal, spinning and shooting high into the net in the 61st minute. Johann Gudmundsson equalized in the 87th.
Burnley’s James Tarkowski, left, and Liverpool’s Adam Lallana battle for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match against Burnley at Turf Moor, Burnley, England, Monday Jan. 1, 2018. (Martin Rickett/PA via AP)
The win lifted Liverpool level on points with third-place Manchester United, which plays at Everton in the late game Monday.
Salah was missing because of a groin problem while Liverpool said Coutinho had a thigh injury, a day after Nike’s website advertised Barcelona shirts with the Brazil midfielder’s name on the back to intensify speculation that he might be heading to the Spanish club.
Hughes rested many of his front-line players in the 5-0 loss at Chelsea on Saturday, in an attempt to keep them fresh for the game against Newcastle. It backfired with Stoke losing 1-0.
In other matches, mid-table teams Brighton and Bournemouth served up an entertaining 2-2 draw, and Leicester beat Huddersfield 3-0.
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Steve Douglas is at www.twitter.com/sdouglas80
Stoke City manager Mark Hughes gestures on the touchline during the match against Newcastle United, during their English Premier League soccer match at the bet365 Stadium in Stoke, England, Monday Jan. 1, 2018. (Dave Thompson/PA via AP)
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