The last time Burnley were in the Premier League it took them 10 games to record their first win. This time they have won four of their opening 11 games, moving into the top half of the table in the process. Crystal Palace were just the latest visitors discover the home side are not only a tougher but somewhat classier proposition this time round. They will probably not be the last.
While Burnley still have a resolute defence and an excellent goalkeeper, they have added creativity in midfield and an eye for goal to that basic survival kit. It was almost ridiculous they needed the most dramatic of stoppage-time winners after allowing Palace back into the game from two goals down, though substitute Ashley Barnes saving the best until last certainly sent the crowd home happy.
“That was a proper ding-dong,” Sean Dyche, the Burnley manager, said. “You can’t really enjoy games when you are involved in trying to win them, but that must have been a terrific match for anyone to watch. The quality of the last goal alone was tremendous, and you have to be impressed with that sort of will and desire in the 94th minute.”
His Palace counterpart, Alan Pardew, was in a way. “It is galling to come away with a defeat in those circumstances, we would have been quite happy with a point,” he said. “We played OK, but they broke on us twice. Strong as we are at set pieces we can’t overcommit like that. We made errors for each goal, but to be fair to Burnley they punished them.”
Palace were looking to avoid a fourth successive defeat on Saturday yet made life extremely hard for themselves by conceding after 80 seconds. Caught with too many men in forward positions as Burnley cleared an early corner, Jeff Hendrick was initially prevented from releasing Johann Berg Gudmundsson into space on the left but Steven Defour arrived in time to continue the move via Matthew Lowton. Gudmundsson’s eventual cross from the left was met by Lowton in the middle and though Scott Dann managed to block the shot the ball ran loose for Sam Vokes to tap home.
Jason Puncheon and Wilfried Zaha managed to bring the now expected saves from Tom Heaton in the Burnley goal as Palace tried to find a way back, before neat work in the centre circle by Vokes sent Gudmundsson racing clear. The winger shot early and true and Steve Mandanda did well to get down to it, but when Gudmundsson hits a ball with his left foot it stays hit. The Palace keeper could not hold the shot and could only watch as the ball looped up in the air behind him to spin over the line.
Vokes had two or three chances to make the game safe at the start of the second half and it appeared those misses might prove expensive when Palace pulled a goal back on the hour. Connor Wickham had only just come on to replace Puncheon when Zaha found him with a low cross from the right. Managing to stay onside by a fraction, the substitute produced a crisp finish to score with his first touch.
Suddenly, Zaha was everywhere, switching wings and causing Burnley problems every time he got the ball, though it was a determined run down the left from the otherwise quiet Andros Townsend that led to Palace’s equaliser. This time it was Burnley who were guilty of sending too many men up for a corner. Palace exploited the space with a quick break and Lowton was still attempting to get back into position when he stuck out a hand to divert Townsend’s cross, Christian Benteke converting the penalty.
Burnley were not about to settle for a point though. Dyche sent his final substitute on for the last five minutes, and in added time Barnes broke with the impressive Gudmundsson keeping pace on his right. Barnes played the ball wide then moved up to accept a perfect cross with an equally unimprovable finish.
Almost unbelievably, there was still time for Townsend to hit a post at the other end, but Burnley held on. Palace did play well, as Pardew said, but must now spend the international break worrying about the prospect of their luck changing against Manchester City.
