The captain Steven Gerrard gave inspiration with two goals to defeat a 4-0 Burnley

BURNLEY 0

LIVERPOOL 4
- Gerrard 52
- Gerrard 59
- Maxi 74
- Babel 90

**Two goals from captain Steven Gerrard, a first Liverpool strike for Maxi Rodriguez and a late effort from Ryan Babel relegated Burnley from the Barclays Premier League and kept alive the Merseysiders' distant hopes of finishing fourth.

Gerrard's first goal in the 51st minute was deflected off Burnley centre-back Leon Cort but his 25-yard strike seven minutes later was inch-perfect and Rodriguez and Babel wrapped things up.

The win, Liverpool's first in eight away league matches this year, kept Rafael Benitez's side in the hunt for next season's Champions League but only just.

Tottenham are two points ahead on 64, with a match in hand, and Liverpool must win their remaining two games and hope neither Spurs, Manchester City nor Aston Villa amass more than 68 points - and even then it could come down to goal difference.

Burnley, however, must now face up to a return to the second tier of English football, which has been on the cards ever since the departure of former manager Owen Coyle to Bolton in January.

By that time they were already on the slide but the loss of the inspirational Scot was a major blow and the decision to bring in Brian Laws failed to turn things around.

Whether anyone would have been able to save the Clarets on the shoestring budget and limited squad available is questionable.

But opting to employ Laws just a month after he had left Sheffield Wednesday having taken them to the brink of relegation from the Championship now seems, at best, a mis-judgment.

Laws has lost 14 of his 17 games in charge and the Clarets have won just seven games all season and not kept a clean sheet since Halloween.

At least the frugal nature of the sensible financial planning at Turf Moor means Burnley do not have the money worries of Hull, who are also doomed to relegation because of their dreadful goal difference.

Squads:

Burnley: Jensen; Mears, Duff, Cort, Fox; Paterson (Eagles 71), Cork, Alexander (Blake 64), Elliott, Nugent (Thompson 77); Fletcher

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, Ayala, Carragher, Agger (Lucas 78); Rodríguez, Mascherano, Gerrard (Pachecho 82), Babel, Kuyt (Benayoun 48), Aquilani