Matej Vydra’s goal secured Burnley a 1-0 win over Wolves to boost their chances of Premier League survival and continue their revival under caretaker boss Mike Jackson.
A second consecutive victory after Thursday’s 2-0 win against Southampton lifts Burnley out of the relegation zone for the first time since October. The Clarets also move two points above Everton, who have a game in hand, after their 2-0 loss at Liverpool in the Merseyside derby.
Vydra, who was making just his second start of the year as he came in to replace the injured Maxwel Cornet, broke the deadlock (62) after finishing from the edge of the six-yard box following a Wout Weghorst cut-back.
Wolves were the stronger side in the first half, but failed to recover after Burnley went in front. Jonny Otto’s deflected effort in the opening 45 minutes – saved by Nick Pope – the closest they came to scoring.
The defeat – a third in four games – dealt yet another blow to Wolves’ chances of European qualification, and they remain three points adrift of seventh-placed West Ham, with a game in hand.
Burnley’s new-found form following the sacking of Sean Dyche – two wins and a draw – has now dragged Leeds firmly back into the fight for survival, with the Clarets just two points off Jesse Marsch’s side. Leeds will be looking to extend that gap on Monday Night Football when they travel to Crystal Palace, live on Sky Sports.
Burnley continue unbeaten run under Jackson
Burnley caretaker boss Jackson challenged his side to continue their momentum after Thursday’s 2-0 win against Southampton, but nerves almost got the better of the hosts early on against Wolves.
Mistakes from Nathan Collins and Connor Roberts at the back almost handed Bruno Lage’s side an opener six minutes in, but returning striker Raul Jimenez’s left-footed effort from inside the area was tame and easily saved by Burnley goalkeeper Pope.
Wolves posed a bigger threat in the first half, with Jonny a big source of danger. The wing-back tested Pope with a curling effort that looked destined for the top corner had it not been for a favourable deflection for the Clarets.
Burnley also looked bright, but struggled to carve out as many dangerous opportunities in the opening 45 minutes. Dwight McNeil, who was a stand-out performer for the Clarets, produced their most dangerous moment of the first half with a left-footed effort that Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa could only tip over his bar.
Pope was forced into action by Wolves wing-back Nelson Semedo six minutes after the restart, lashing a shot at his near post, but the England goalkeeper pulled off a fine save to keep the scores level.
It proved to be the last meaningful moment going forward for Wolves, as Burnley opened the scoring 10 minutes later after a fine move down the right-hand side which started with a reverse pass from McNeil to Weghorst, who was able to lay the ball back for Vydra to score just his second goal of the season.
Burnley will head to fellow relegation strugglers Watford next Saturday full of confidence that they can make it three wins on the bounce after an impressive start to life under Jackson.
Dyche gamble paying off for Burnley
The decision to sack Dyche after 10 years was a huge risk by Burnley chairman Alan Pace, especially when it became apparent there was no clear succession plan in place.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher described the move as a “joke”, adding on Twitter: “If you had given him a decent budget you would never have had a worry about getting relegated.”
However, Jackson has breathed new life into the squad since stepping up from the U23s to take over as caretaker manager and won seven points from an available nine in his first three games.
It remains to be seen whether Pace will hire a new permanent manager before the end of the season, but in the build-up to the game against Wolves, some of the Burnley players made it clear they want Jackson until the end of the season.
Midfielder Josh Brownhill said “why change if it’s not broken?” and it is hard to argue with him.
Pace has already taken a big gamble. That change was necessary to jolt Burnley into life, but another roll of the dice could derail their bid for Premier League survival.
Pace should stick rather than twist on this occasion. Jackson has done enough to earn the role until the end of the season and while there are no assurances of safety, he is a safe bet to keep the Clarets performing for the final five games of the season.
‘Team spirit gives us foundation’ – Jackson on Burnley win
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Burnley caretaker boss Jackson praised the unity of his squad after a closely-fought contest against European-chasing Wolves at Turf Moor on Sunday.
“We have a good core, and everything is built on it, the team spirit we have, I wouldn’t swap the team spirit that we have got in this group,” said Jackson.
“It gives us a foundation, if you look at the lads at the back, Popey, both full-backs and centre-backs, then Kev [Long] coming on late on to shore it up when we had to change formation.
“I always say enjoy tonight, they will enjoy their day off tomorrow but there is still a long way to go, we have just got to stay on top of everything.”
Match-winner Vydra was an unlikely starter for Burnley, filling in for the injured Cornet.
“We put Vyds on that left-hand side and told him to try and stay up against them on that side of the pitch, so it gave us a bit of balance,” said Jackson.
“It is a terrific move for the goal. It’s come from Popey, out to Charlie Taylor and across the pitch, they don’t even touch the ball, we got it up to Wout and it’s a brilliant finish from Vyds.
“I’m just so pleased for the group, and everyone involved. We’re enjoying the challenge of these games and it’s how we have to look it now, where can we improve and get better and that’s where we want to get to.”
‘We missed a big chance’ – Lage on Wolves’ Euro bid
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Wolves head coach Bruno Lage says “it’s going to be a battle until the end” to secure qualification for Europe next season after his side missed the chance to go level on points with seventh-placed West Ham.
“Disappointed because I saw this game too many times from my team”, said Lage. “Different to Newcastle, I think we were the better team, we played well, we played the way we should play, but we didn’t score a goal and one mistake, and they scored.
“I saw this game from my team too many times this season and the frustration is that, when you look at the table, the way we were playing especially since January, we should do better, but we are not doing and that’s the frustration from this game.
“It’s going to be a battle until the end. We played against Burnley but also West Ham. Burnley played against us but also Everton. Today, one more time, we missed a big chance to put the club in a different position, but now we recover, we have Brighton in front of us and we need to go with the same ambition to win the game.
“Until the end it will be very hard because every team will fight for the positions. The main point is ours, we have the feeling, the way we play, if we create chances and have more goals between our men, we should have more points and a different position. Until the end, the challenge now is to play the last games, try to think about putting the club in sixth or seventh position.”
Opta stats: Vydra comes up big again for Burnley
- Burnley have won three home Premier League games in a row for the first time since a run of five between Decemeber 2016 and January 2017, and is the same number of victories as they managed across the 26 games beforehand.
- Burnley have picked up seven points in their three Premier League games under Michael Jackson (W2 D1), the same number of points as Sean Dyche picked up during his final eight league games at the club (W2 D1 L5).
- Wolves have now suffered more defeats in their last five away Premier League games (4) than they had in their first 12 on the road this season (W7 D2 L3).
- When holding at least 60% possession, Wolves have lost half of their eight Premier League games in 2021-22 (W3 D1 L4), failing to beat opponents Burnley this season despite averaging more of the ball against the Clarets than against any other side this term.
What’s next?
Burnley face a crucial clash with fellow relegation contenders Watford at Vicarage Road up ; kick-off 3pm.
Wolverhampton Wanderers will host Brighton at Molineux next Saturday; Romain Saiss scored the only goal of the game in a 1-0 win for Wolves at the Amex back in December; kick-off 3pm.
Burnley’s remaining fixtures
April 30 – Watford (a)
May 7 – Aston Villa (h)
May 15 – Tottenham (a)
May 19 – Aston Villa (a)
May 22 – Newcastle (h)
Wolverhampton’s remaining fixtures
April 30 – Brighton (h)
May 7 – Chelsea (a)
May 15 – Norwich (h)
May 22 – Liverpool (a)
Burnley revival continues as Vydra seals win over Wolves
Source: Healthy Lifestyle
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