CHRIS WOOD PLUNDERED goals in either half to help Burnley earn a 3-1 win over Brighton and Hove Albion that lifts Sean Dyche’s men out of the Premier League relegation zone.
Wood’s clinical finishing at a rain-soaked Amex Stadium made the difference as Brighton were left frustrated by the heroics of Tom Heaton in the Burnley goal.
The Seagulls created more than enough chances to get a result but only found a way past Heaton after Ashley Barnes added to Wood’s double when he scored a controversial penalty.
Shane Duffy grabbed a consolation for Brighton in the closing stages but Chris Hughton’s side are still without a Premier League win in 2019, while Burnley are unbeaten since the turn of the year and sit 15th, three points clear of the bottom three.
Brighton survived a scare after 16 minutes when Duffy diverted Dwight McNeil’s shot onto his own crossbar and Ashley Barnes headed the rebound over the top, but Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton was soon called upon to deny a powerful Solly March effort with a one-handed stop.
The opener arrived after 26 minutes when Barnes floated a pass over the Brighton defence just as Lewis Dunk lost his footing, leaving Wood with a free run on goal and the New Zealand striker applied a clinical finish high into the net.
Heaton made a key intervention to push the ball away from Glenn Murray’s head as the hosts pushed for an equaliser before half-time, with Jeff Hendrick then clearing off the line to preserve Burnley’s lead at the break.
Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan will want to forget Burnley’s second goal, which arrived just after the hour mark when McNeil surged forward with the ball and fed Wood, whose shot skidded off Ryan’s outstretched palm on its way into the bottom-right corner.
Hendrick appeared to handle the ball in the Brighton box moments before Barnes was brought down by Ryan at the other end, and the Burnley forward confidently tucked home the ensuing spot-kick.
Duffy met Anthony Knockaert’s long, looping free-kick over the top with a diving header that beat Heaton and gave Brighton a glimmer of hope that arrived far too late.
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For all the doom and gloom talked about Tottenham this season (no signings, stadium delays, Poch to United, out of both domestic cups), they continue to jog just behind the top 2, while keeping the top 4 dogfight just out of sight in the rearview mirror. One loss and they’ll be branded bottle jobs again, but with Wembley form picking up, and a tasty tie against Dortmund coming up, I can’t help but be happy.
Hanging on in there. Not at their best but picking up another win. COYS
Spurs are the type of football club that would give ya the horn.
@limofax: just like your ma, good stuff.
COYS
I can’t suffer Michael Oliver either.
He was the last one picked in school who:
1) you stuck in nets cos he’s brutal at football
2) you then told him to keep time cos he was crap in goal
3) eventually made him referee cos he was brutal at everything else, then became a brutal ref
Leicester should have been out of sight but Spurs more clinical with the chances they had