A late Ashley Barnes goal earned a vital victory for the Claret’s, who condemned Huddersfield to their eighth straight defeat.
It was the home side who took the lead in Yorkshire though after a pinpoint Isaac Mbenza cross was met by the head of Mounie, who calmly nodded past Heaton to put the hosts 1-0 up. Huddersfield’s jubilation was soon cut short though as the visitors struck back. 19-year-old Dwight McNeil was responsible for an excellent assist; cutting in from the right he sent in a fizzing cross and Chris Wood tapped in at the far post.
Minutes before the half came to an end, Huddersfield were down to ten men. A foolish challenge by an already booked Christopher Schindler warranted him a second card of the game and Mike Dean took no time in dishing out a red card. Despite some resilient defending from the home side, Burnley finally made the extra man count. Westwood found himself in some space, poked the ball through to Ashley Barnes and he finished well to take the lead.
However, the drama wasn’t finished there. Mbenza was in space and racing away on the counter-attack late on in hope of an equaliser, but Robbie Brady slid in and tackled him from behind which led to referee Mike Dean issuing him a straight red card.
Both teams finished level on players, but it was Burnley who escaped the drop zone inflicting more damage on Huddersfield’s survival hopes.
Dwight McNeil – a future star
Making just his fourth Premier League appearance, the youngster put in a fantastic performance which helped inspire Burnley’s win. The winger transferred from Manchester United’s youth squad in 2017 and has been playing for the Clarets since. McNeil registered his first assist this evening, setting up Wood’s goal after a snaking run. Add this to his goal against West Ham last weekend, he has been instrumental in Burnley’s recent run of form.
The Englishman’s skill also resulted in Christopher Schindler leaving the pitch. McNeil was in a dangerous position on the edge of the box, eluded Schindler and got hacked down in the process. His performance was one that Sean Dyche will be most pleased with, providing some competition for Aaron Lennon on the wing.
Huddersfield recruitment
It’s no question that Huddersfield need better-attacking players. It’s just a question of who and when. Despite his goal on Wednesday, Mounie was just not enough to cause any major threat – suggesting that maybe an attacking addition would benefit current attacking players, providing some much-needed support and quality.
Huddersfield’s owner Dean Hoyle promises that the club “will be active in this window” which provides some form of comfort to Town fans. Neal Maupay is the first to be linked with the Terriers. The Brentford striker has had a fantastic start to this year’s Championship campaign – netting 15 times in 24 games. A busy window lies ahead.
Battling Burnley
Burnley are now on a winning streak of two, following three straight defeats. The Clarets first defeated West Ham last week in a crucial two nil victory and they built on this in Yorkshire on Wednesday night after inflicting another defeat on the Terriers. The significance is, they are now out of the bottom three and two points clear. Next week’s game could be the decider on whether they can break away from the bottom three or get sucked back down. Fulham, who lie just two points below them could cause some concern if Burnley are unable to see them off. It will be a big game for both sides in a bid to avoid the bottom three.
Careless challenges
Clearly, both teams were up for it on Wednesday – two red cards and five yellow cards epitomised the significance of this game. Christopher Schindler’s double yellow was his second red card for Huddersfield. Both challenges were careless and the second was definitely a yellow, with the first perhaps a bit unfortunate. Initially, it seemed the German defender did not realise he was booked on the first occasion, which suggests his confusion and recklessness leading up to the incident. His poor challenge was later matched by Robbie Brady, who wiped out any chance of a counter-attack following a two-footed challenge from behind on Mbenza. The Irishman has spent five years serving the Clarets and this was his first sending off.
Burnley’s attacking threat
Chris Wood has now netted back-to-back goals helping Burnley to successive wins. The striker netted 10 goals last season after signing from Leeds for £19 million. However, he has yet to have found his shooting boots this term. Since making appearances in all of Burnley’s 21 games this season, he has only scored three times. Ashley Barnes is Burnley’s current top scorer with four goals this season. The architectural Gudmundsson is similarly yet to find his form of last season; the Icelandic midfielder managed to register ten assists and two goals last year – an impressive tally. If Sean Dyche’s men are to remain in the Premier League, their big players must continue to perform.
