Burnley continued their impressive form in the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Stoke at Turf Moor on Tuesday taking them into the top four.
Match Summary
Stoke showed early strength in the first half, dominating the play and even striking the woodwork through Mame Biram Diouf. However, Sean Dyche’s Burnley rallied after the break and clinched a nail-biting late victor thanks to Ashley Barnes’ clinical finish.
First Half
The game kicked off energetically with Burnley coming close in the third minute when James Tarkowski headed just wide from a free kick. On the flip side, Xherdan Shaqiri tested Burnley keeper Nick Pope with a volley shortly after.
Mark Hughes’ Stoke line-up grabbed better chances as the half progressed. Peter Crouch chased a Tarkowski mis-kick at five minutes but Pope made a timely save. Shortly after, Kurt Zouma’s header was comfortably caught by Pope from a Shaqiri cross.
Ramadan Sobhi set up Diouf on 20 minutes following a slick move past Johann Berg Gudmundsson. Yet, Diouf’s header narrowly missed the target. Minutes later, Diouf nearly scored after being released down the right flank, his shot brushing the underside of the crossbar.
Sobhi had a chance from a corner clearance but failed to test Pope, and the half wrapped up with Gudmundsson unable to hit the target from a rebound in the 39th minute.
Second Half
The second half was full of end-to-end action. Pope was called into action with a fine save from Shaqiri’s long-range effort in the 54th minute. Jack Butland responded with a solid save against Steve Defour’s volley on 69 minutes.
Burnley’s Gudmundsson wasted another chance as he fired wide in the 71st minute. Substitute Ashley Barnes had an opportunity but shot weakly wide after a knockdown from Chris Wood.
Stoke’s Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting tested Pope with a shot from the edge of the area five minutes from time. Peter Crouch almost snatched a last-minute winner with a diving overhead kick that narrowly missed.
But it was Burnley who found the breakthrough. Barnes showcased great skill with a one-two move with Scott Arfield before slotting the ball home inside the box – a moment of magic that sealed victory.
In stoppage time, Pope made a crucial save from Tarkowski’s header after a dangerous cross from Erik Pieters, preserving Burnley’s win that thrust them into the Premier League’s elite top four.
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