Burnley Look Forwards As Relegation Confirmed
Burnley are already looking forward in the quest to return to the Premier League after relegation from the top flight was confirmed with a game to go.
The Vertu Motors-backed side had looked doomed in early March when a 2-0 loss to Bournemouth at Turf Moor left the Clarets eleven points away from safety with eleven games left to go.
That loss however would be followed by a run of just one defeat in eight games – including draws with both Chelsea and Manchester United – as Vincent Kompany and his squad battled hard to avoid the drop and closed on the teams ahead.
A heavy loss to Newcastle however had left Burnley in a tough position going into the final two games of the campaign, with two wins needed from games against Tottenham and Nottingham Forest to stand any chance of staying up.
Burnley started brightly at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and could have hit the front within five minutes when a header from Vitinho was saved by ‘keeper Guglielmo Vicario from close range.
Arijanet Muric then pulled off a smart save at the other end to deny Brennan Johnson before the visitors hit the front as Jacob Bruun Larsen finished off a swift counter-attacking move with his seventh goal of the season.
That gave Burnley fresh hope but Spurs equalised seven minutes later when Pedro Porro charged forwards before unleashing a shot beyond Muric into the net to equalise.
Wilson Odobert went close after the break as Burnley looked to reclaim the lead before Maxime Est�ve nodded just over the bar, with James Maddison then forcing Muric into a save at the other end.
Spurs had opportunities to add a second goal as mistakes crept into the Burnley game and with eight minutes left, Micky van de Ven slid home the decisive goal that consigned the Clarets to the Championship next season.
Focus will now turn towards trying to replicate the successes that saw Burnley promoted in Kompany’s first season in charge to bounce back at the first attempt.
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