Burnley 1-2 Liverpool: Ragnar Klavan snatches three precious points for Reds in stoppage time after Johann Berg Gudmundsson cancelled out Sadio Mane's rocket strike

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Underneath the red baseball cap that had sheltered him from the elements, Jurgen Klopp had one of those megawatt smiles.

Klopp had just been stood in front of the Fishwick Stand, where Liverpool’s giddy supporters were housed, punching the air when, suddenly, he spun on his heels and charged to Ragnar Klavan. He engulfed the Estonian in a bear hug and then did exactly the same to Dejan Lovren.

These two players are often derided, their suitability for Liverpool frequently questioned. But, on a filthy day in Burnley, they had emerged as the heroes. Klopp had hoped Virgil Van Dijk’s £75m arrival would spark a response from Klavan and Lovren but he wouldn’t have expected this.

Ragnar Klavan celebrates with his team-mates after scoring Liverpool's winning goal in the fourth minute of injury time

Klavan struck at the death from close range to hand Liverpool three important points in their pursuit of the top four

Klavan was in the right place at the right time to head home after Dejan Lovren had knocked the ball back across the box

Match facts and ratings 

 BURNLEY (4-4-1-1): Pope 7: Bardsley 6, Tarkowski 7, Mee 7, Taylor 6.5: Gudmundsson 7, Defour 6, Cork 6, Arlfied 7 (Wells 87mins): Hendrick 6.5 (Vokes 73mins): Barnes 6.5 

Subs not used: Lindegaard (GK), Lowton, Westwood, Walters, Long

Goals – Gudmundsson 87

Booked – none

Manager – Sean Dyche 6.5

LIVERPOOL (4-3-3): Mignolet 6: Alexander-Arnold 8, Lovren 7.5, Klavan 7.5, Gomez 7: Can 6.5, Wijnaldum 6, Oxlade-Chamberlain 6.5 (Matip 90): Mane 7 (Firmino 73mins 6), Solanke 6, Lallana 7.5 (Milner 87mins) 

Subs not used: Karius (GK), Robertson, Ings, Woodburn

Goals – Mane (61), Klavan (90+4) 

Booked - none

Manager – Jurgen Klopp 7

Referee – R East 7

Attendance – 21,756

Man-of-the-Match – Trent Alexander-Arnold 

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How Sadio Mane put Liverpool ahead against Burnley. CLICK HERE for more from our match zone service

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Deep into injury time, with Liverpool looking like they were about to squander two more points, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain hoisted a free-kick to the back post, Lovren rose to head the ball across the face of goal and Klavan slid in to bundle his first Premier League goal over the line.

We are accustomed to Liverpool winning in flamboyant, free-scoring fashion but here was evidence to show they can do things the hard way, too. Klavan and Lovren epitomised the belligerence that was required to repel this season’s surprise package.

‘Maybe we didn’t have too much of these wins,’ said Klopp. ‘In all the (eight) draws we have had this season, we would have pretty much deserved to win. We need the wins on the not sunny days. It was a fantastic moment when we scored.’

Yet it was anything but fantastic for Klopp when Burnley had scored a similar goal of their own, through Johann Berg Gudmunsson, in the 89th minute, capitalising on some slack defending to cancel out Sadio Mane’s stunning strike.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp smiles and punches the air with delight after his team's late winner at Turf Moor

Johann Berg Gudmundsson looked to have earned Burnley a point when he headed home with just two minutes remaining

Gudmundsson dived in at the far post to turn the ball home after a cross was flicked on inside the penalty box

Sadio Mane celebrates with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Adam Lallana after firing Liverpool into the lead at Burnley

It was also an unexpectedly dramatic conclusion to a game that, for long parts, had been sterile and without incident, with dreadful conditions and the impact of two games in 48 hours taking their toll. The first half, especially, made for grim viewing.

Liverpool tried to keep the ball on the floor but, without Mohamed Salah (groin) and Philippe Coutinho (thigh), they lacked fizz. Dominic Solanke, one of seven changes to the side that beat Leicester, deputised for Roberto Firmino but he found the going as heavy as the weather.

It said everything that the most notable moment of the opening 45 minutes was a brilliant tackle from Adam Lallana, who timed his sliding challenge on Gudmundsson to perfection as the Iceland midfielder looked to scurry clear. His first start of the season was deeply impressive.

‘Outstanding’, was Klopp’s succinct appraisal. ‘Especially after we went 1-0 up, he played really good football. He was really enjoying the game. He was really strong in the beginning then average then back (to really strong) again. It is good news for us that he is back.’

Sadio Mane runs away to celebrate after firing Liverpool into a 61st-minute lead against Burnley at Turf Moor

Mane let fly on his left foot from the edge of the Burnley box, his shot always rising as it crashed into the roof of the net

Mane gets his head over the ball to produce a clean strike to give Liverpool the lead shortly after the hour mark 

Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope looks dejected after Mane's goal as the Liverpool man celebrates with his team-mates

Burnley had the best opportunity of the opening 45 minutes but, after Ashley Barnes had cushioned down a long ball from James Tarkowski, Scott Arfield’s shot drifted just beyond Simon Mignolet’s far post, much to the Liverpool keeper’s relief.

Things appeared to be following a similar pattern after the restart and one passage of play – which saw Emre Can hoist an aimless ball forward to Nick Pope, only for the Burnley keeper to smash his clearance all the way back to Mignolet – had all supporters groaning.

Then, after 61 minutes, came the move that was at odds with everything that had gone before. A ball out to the right allowed Trent Alexander-Arnold to surge away and fire in a cross that looked to be headed for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain until Mane stuck out his right leg.

Burnley's Johann Berg Gudmundsson tries to curl a free-kick around the leaping Liverpool wall during the first-half

Scott Arfield tries his luck as Burnley apply pressure on the Liverpool defensive line during the first-half

Liverpool defender Ragnar Klavan attempts to turn a corner towards goal having got ahead of Phil Bardsley 

Burnley's James Tarkowski manages to clear the ball ahead of Liverpool forward Dominic Solanke

His control was instant and before Oxlade-Chamberlain could throw up his hands in exasperation, Mane had thrashed a left-footed drive into the roof the net. Liverpool looked to take control and Alexander-Arnold almost repeated the trick but Pope tipped his dipping shot tipped away.

Pope came to his side’s rescue again in the 85th minute when denying Oxlade-Chamberlain from point blank range and those interventions looked to be crucial when, four minutes later, Gudmundsson arrived on the blind side to bury Sam Vokes’ flick on.

‘I thought we had done enough to earn another point,’ Burnley manager Sean Dyche lamented. ‘Superb physically, tactically very good and I was particularly pleased with us defensively. So you can imagine how frustrated I am with a soft goal. It was a horrible feeling.’

But it was exactly the opposite for Liverpool. No wonder Klopp was smiling. 

Sadio Mane falls to the ground under pressure from Burnley's Scott Arfield during the opening stages of the match

Liverpool's Georginio Wijnaldum raises a leg to bring the ball under control under pressure from Burnley's Cork and Barnes

Burnley defender Ben Mee wins an aerial contest with Liverpool forward Sadio Mane during the first-half 

Ashley Barnes takes a shot at goal for Burnley during the opening exchanges as Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold looks on

Burnley defender James Tarkowski attempts to shield the ball by the corner flag under pressure from Dominic Solanke

Burnley's Phil Bardsley heads the ball away as Liverpool's Dejan Lovren looks on during the early stages at Turf Moor

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was well wrapped up against some pretty miserable Burnley weather