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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said he is happy for his team to win “ugly” during the remainder of the Premier League season if it brings results such as the fortunate 2-1 victory over Burnley at Anfield on Sunday.

Klopp’s team improved their chances of finishing in the top four, and qualifying for next season’s Champions League, thanks to Emre Can’s superb long-range shot after 60 minutes.

But, against a Burnley side with just two points away from home this season, Liverpool were forced to work hard to come back after Ashley Barnes had shot the visitors into a shock, early lead.

“I would say you need to be ready for both,” said Klopp when asked if it was important for his team to learn how to win ‘ugly’ games.

“You cannot plan an ugly game. But this was not our best game so, yes, if we want to stay where we are, then we need to win football games and we can’t make the choice and say ‘yes or no we want to play this way’,” the German added. “We all have to get used to it a little bit. It is the first ugly game we won.

Usually when we are not at our best we have lost.

“It is really good today that we could do it like this. We usually win good games, but the bad games and the average games we need to be challenging too. We were today,” he added after a victory that saw Liverpool remain fourth, still in the final Champions League place open to English clubs, and move five points clear of fifth-placed Arsenal.

Liverpool were fortunate to go into the half-time interval level with Burnley after Georginio Wijnaldum scored an equaliser deep in injury-time.

Can’s goal ultimately kept Liverpool ahead of both Arsenal and Manchester United in the chase for fourth place and, while Klopp felt the Germany midfielder should have done more to prevent Matt Lowton crossing for Burnley’s goal, he was pleased to see that his star has finally recovered from persistent injury troubles.

Premier League table

P    W    D    L    GF    GA    GD    Pts
Chelsea    27    21    3    3    57    20    37    66
Tottenham    27    16    8    3    53    20    33    56
Manchester City    27    17    5    5    53    29    24    56
Liverpool    28    16    7    5    60    35    25    55
Arsenal    26    15    5    6    55    31    24    50
Manchester United    26    13    10    3    39    22    17    49
Everton    28    13    8    7    47    30    17    47
West Bromwich Albion    28    11    7    10    36    37    -1    40
Stoke City    28    9    9    10    32    40    -8    36
Southampton    26    9    6    11    32    34    -2    33
West Ham United    28    9    6    13    38    49    -11    33
Burnley    28    9    4    15    31    42    -11    31
Watford    27    8    7    12    33    47    -14    31
AFC Bournemouth    28    8    6    14    40    54    -14    30
Leicester City    27    7    6    14    30    45    -15    27
Swansea City    28    8    3    17    36    61    -25    27
Crystal Palace    27    7    4    16    35    46    -11    25
Hull City    28    6    6    16    26    54    -28    24
Middlesbrough    27    4    10    13    19    30    -11    22
Sunderland    27    5    4    18    24    50    -26    19
— AFP.