MATCH REPORT: BURNLEY 1 – 4 NEWCASTLE UNITED

Magpies claim victory at Turf Moor

The Clarets endured a difficult afternoon in challenging conditions against Newcastle United on Saturday, as the European chasing visitors took the three points back to the northeast.

Vincent Kompany made one change to his side in the penultimate home game of the campaign with David Datro Fofana replaced by captain Josh Brownhill in the starting XI.

In front of a roaring home crowd the Clarets got off to a bright start winning a corner in the first minute. The visitors cleared but the home side pushed and it took a good block from Martin Dúbravka to keep out Jacob Bruun Larsen early on.

Then Dan Burn just stretched across enough to stop the ball reaching Lyle Foster in front of goal, in further positive signs in the opening stages.

The home side were calling for a penalty when Lorenz Assignon went down in the box but referee Anthony Taylor waved away calls. A subsequent foul by Anthony Gordon on Josh Cullen won the Clarets a free-kick at the opposite end. Bruun Larsen stepped up but the Newcastle defence cleared any danger.

The first yellow of the game went the way of Callum Wilson 18 minutes in, who having gone toe to toe with Maxime Esteve, was adjudged to have dived in the box by the referee.

Wilson was to be a talking point though as it was the Newcastle number 9 who opened the scoring two minutes later, when he tapped in the rebound from an Alexander Isak shot – in an unfortunate turn of events after a positive start for the Clarets.

Having turned the pressure on since the goal Burnley had some defending to do keeping Isak, Gordon and Wilson quiet. But in the 35th minute Eddie Howe’s team doubled their advantage with Sean Longstaff well positioned to fire home when Jacob Murphy cut the ball back to him in space.

Centre back Esteve found himself in the referee’s book for a foul on Wilson, in what was shaping up to be quite the battle, and Muric saved the subsequent Gordon free-kick.

Newcastle made the home side’s challenging afternoon even tougher 40 minutes in, when Gordon found Guimarães whose strike slotted into the corner, increasing the visitors lead to three.

Shortly before half-time the Clarets were forced into a change at the back when an injured Esteve, who had been receiving treatment, was withdrawn for Hjalmar Ekdal.

With an additional six minutes added time, Gordon won the Magpies another free-kick but the wall did it’s job and down the other end Wilson Odobert won Kompany’s men a corner but O’Shea couldn’t keep his header down and it floated over the crossbar.

The half-time whistle went and with a three goal cushion the Clarets had work to do in the second half.

Under a heavy fine rain the second 45 kicked off with no changes to either side.

Gordon continued to cause Burnley problems at the restart. The winger won his side a penalty five minutes in when he was brought down by skipper Josh Brownhill, who collected a yellow card. Isak stepped up to the spot but Muric read it well getting down to his right to keep it out and deny the visitors from increasing their lead further.

A VAR check followed for a Possible Encroachment but was cleared after a short wait.

Isak did get his goal though in the 55th minute smashing the ball into the roof of the net after he was found in the box by Murphy, who in the process racked up his second assist of the game.

Newcastle assistant manager Jason Tindall was booked three minutes later when the referee was called over to the dugout.

Kompany made his second substitution in the game 62 minutes in, with Johann Berg Gudmundsson introduced in place of Bruun Larsen.

Muric did well to stretch across his goal to keep out a Guimarães effort and at this point Eddie Howe made his first changes, a double, with Wilson and Murphy replaced by Harvey Barnes and Elliot Anderson.

Persistent running from Foster resulted in a throw in for the home side, Sander Berge made a positive run forward, however his effort flashed wide of the post.

Substitute Anderson found himself on the end of a yellow card when he caught Vitinho, before Howe shuffled his cards again in the 77th minute, with goalscorers Longstaff and Isak replaced by Joelinton and Miguel Almirón.

There was a flurry of further changes with five minutes of the 90 to go with Brownhill and Foster replaced by Zeki Amdouni and David Datro Fofana. Newcastle also switched Gordon for Matt Ritchie at the same time.

The Clarets did claw a goal back when Dara O’Shea leaped well to head past Dúbravka, from a Gudmundsson corner. The assist, Johann’s 21st in the Premier League, pushed him ahead of Ashley Westwood as having the most in Burnley’s Premier League’s history.

Five additional minutes were added and Muric added another really good save to his afternoon’s tally as Newcastle pushed for a fifth.

As the final whistle went, in torrential weather, Burnley’s recent momentum was also dampened as Newcastle clinched the win at Turf Moor.

Burnley: Muric, O’Shea, Brownhill (Amdouni 85), Berge, Foster (Fofana 85), Assignon, Vitinho, Cullen, Esteve (Ekdal 45+1), Bruun Larsen (Gudmundsson 62), Odobert

Unused substitutes: Trafford, Taylor, Rodriguez, Benson, Tresor

Newcastle United: Dúbravka, Wilson (Barnes 68), Gordon (Ritchie 85), Isak (Almirón 77), Krafth, Hall, Livramento, Murphy (Anderson 68), Burn, Longstaff (Joelinton 77), Guimarães

Unused substitutes: Pope, Dummett, White, Alex Murphy

Goals: Wilson 19′, Longstaff 35′, Guimarães 40′, Isak 55′, O’Shea 86′