Another No Win Situation for Burnley!

The long hard season in the top flight continued on Sunday with another defeat this time 3-1 at home to a strong Everton side. The result left Burnley still looking for their first win of the season after nine gruelling league games so far and a Capital One cup exit at home to Sheffield Wednesday. They remain the only club in the Premier and Football Leagues still looking for their first win and things are now certainly looking a little bleak. The long weekend was made even more miserable for Clarets fans with Newcastle beating Spurs 2-1 at White Hart Lane on Sunday and then QPR defeating Aston Villa 2-0 at home on Monday night. The results see the Clarets firmly rooted at the foot of the Premier League table with just four points taken from a maximum 27 possible. Burnley are now three points adrift of second from bottom QPR and already need five points to move out of the drop zone and catch fourth-from-bottom Leicester on nine points. It will be a miracle too if things do not guess worse next Saturday when Burnley travel to the Emirates to play 5th placed Arsenal.

There was just one thing to cheer about on Sunday and that was the fact that at long last Danny Ings got on the score sheet. Samuel Eto’o’s powerful early header in the fourth minute was cancelled out when Danny Ings pounced after a mistake from Romelu Lukaku to score his first goal of the season in the 20th minute. The Toffees though regained the lead within nine minutes when Lukaku made amends for his earlier error by finding the back of the net with a scuffed shot. It was game over for the Clarets after Eto’o notched up a brace with a well-taken curled shot five minutes from time to secure all three points for the visitors.

Team Sheet

There was perhaps just one surprise in the starting eleven with Stephen Ward preferred in place of Ben Mee at left back. That was the only change to the starting eleven that faced West Ham in the last game. Dean Marney was still out injured with a hamstring injury ensuring that once again Scott Arfield would take up the centre midfield role in partnership with David Jones. Mee had to be content with a place on the bench and there was also a place for both our young loans, Michael Keane and Nathaniel Chalobah. In summary then we lined up as follows :

Heaton, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Ward, Boyd, Arfield, Jones, Kightly, Ings, Jutkiewicz

Subs: Gilks, Keane, Mee, Chalobah, Wallace, Barnes, Sordell

Full Match Report

The ever hopeful Burnley fans were praying for their side`s first victory of the season as East Midlands referee, Andre Marriner got the match underway. In our hearts though we all knew Everton who can boast the likes of England internationals, Jagielka, Baines and Barry in their side would be a tough nut to crack and that became even more evident when the Toffees took the lead after just four minutes. Osman found Baines on the overlap after the ball had been switched from the right flank to the left. The England full back then crossed the ball into the box where Eto`o, making a late run into the penalty area headed home via the crossbar from close range to put Everton 1-0 up. The Clarets were being outplayed at this stage and looked in danger of going further behind. Heaton had no trouble though keeping out a shot from Lukaku in the 13th minute. It took a full fifteen minutes before Burnley displayed their intentions when at long last they began to exert some pressure of their own. Everton were looking a little shaky in defence now as first Ward and then Jones saw their well-taken efforts blocked but Burnley fans were soon rewarded in the 20th minute when a splendid equaliser from Danny Ings lifted spirits and returned some hope. Lukaku made a hash of things giving the ball away inside his own half and allowing the Juke to pounce. He laid the ball off straight away to Ings who was now charging towards goal. Rounding the keeper with some coolness, Ings slotted home into an empty goal to record his first goal of the season. The Clarets now looked to be taking the game to Everton desperate to get their noses in front. Just two minutes after the equaliser, Scott Arfield drilled a well-taken effort from just outside the box but the ball flew just wide of the post. It was back to square one though for the Clarets after Everton regained their composure and managed to get their noses in front yet again in the 29th minute following some impressive passing between Naismith and Eto`o. Ward managed to block an initial attempt from Lukaku but the Belgian pounced again and squeezed between two defenders to slot the ball home into the far corner of the net. Burnley had it all to do again but they kept going. Jutkiewicz was too strong for Alcaraz after turning towards goal but from a tight angle was unable to make it count in the 33rd minute. With the break fast approaching, Arfield came close from outside the box but the luck remained with the visitors and the ball just missed the target.

Neither manager made any changes for the start of the second half and it was the Clarets who came closest to scoring the first. Jutkiewicz latched onto a ball in from Ward but he simply could not get enough power on his header to trouble Tim Howard. Just before the hour mark, Heaton kept Burnley in with a chance after comfortably saving an effort from Eto`o but it was now time for Burnley to make their first substitution. In the 64th minute on came Barnes in place of the Juke with the Clarets now pushing forward and pressing for another equaliser. In all honesty though Everton looked to be in control and content to try and mop up any danger at the back and attempt to catch the Clarets out on the break. Burnley kept battling away though and with ten minutes to go Arfield from just outside the box saw his shot fly just wide of the post. Everton though sealed all the glory with another goal in the 85th minute and that meant game over for the Clarets. Eto`o latched onto the ball and quickly turning unleashed a shot from 25 yards out that curled into the far corner of the net to make it 3-1. With five minutes to go and two goals down there was no way back for the Clarets but both sides had chances before the final whistle blew. Ings broke into the penalty area but could not make it count and the same fate befell Naismith at the other end. It looked like Eto`o would then get a hat-trick when he got on the end of a loose ball and rounded Heaton. His left footed shot hit the inside of the post. As the final whistle blew Burnley once again knew they had come off second best in the end after witnessing some clinical finishing from their opponents. Oh well yet another recorded Sky Sports Live game I wont be watching back! Two consecutive 3-1 home defeats and Arsenal next up at the Emirates does not bode well for our confidence in a season that is proving very hard and very frustrating. The comparisons with the Coyle season in the top flight back in 2009-10 are bound to continue. We had turned Turf Moor into an early fortress back then and you may remember the corresponding fixture against Everton and our 1-0 victory that came so closely on the back of our 1-0 home win against Manchester United! Points were not that hard to come by at home although of course our away form was another matter. There was certainly more to cheer about as Christmas approached back then before it all went pear-shape following the departure of Coyle in January 2010. Now it looks like we are going to have to do it the other way round if we are to have any hope of survival and that is certainly the more difficult option. We simply have to start winning at least at home or it is going to be one very long season for Burnley fans.

Match Stats

Burnley: Heaton, Trippier, Duff, Shackell, Ward, Boyd (Chalobah 86), Arfield, Jones, Kightly (Sordell 83), Ings, Jutkiewicz (Barnes 64)

Subs not used: Gilks, Keane, Mee, Wallace

Goal: Ings 20

Booked: Yellow Cards for Boyd (30), Arfield (51), Ward (62) and Barnes (74)

Everton: Howard, Coleman, Alcaraz, Jagielka, Baines, Naismith, McCarthy, Barry, Osman (Pienaar 82), Eto`o, Lukaku (Barkley 64)

Subs not used: Robles, Hibbert, Gibson, Be?ić, McGeady

Goals: Eto`o 4, 85, Lukaku 29

Booked: Yellow cards for Lukaku (24) and Naismith (55)

Possession: 38% Burnley, 62% Everton (Source: BBC Sport)

Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands)
The Dyche View!
Burnley manager Sean Dyche said in his post-match comments:

‘Generally I thought we performed well but they are a very high quality side with highly clinical players and they showed that. That is where our growth needs to come – the clinical edge.

‘We have to fight beyond our means at times but we have to build a team that can win games. That is the challenge. The margins are tight, we know that and we have to find a way of turning the margins in our favour. We never came into this thinking it would easy.’