Burnley squandered a two-goal lead for the second home match in a row as West Bromwich Albion came from behind to rescue a 2-2 draw at Turf Moor this afternoon.
The hosts began the match brightly and were ahead inside 11 minutes when Ashley Barnes opened the scoring, while Danny Ings doubled the advantage shortly after the half-hour mark with a header of his own.
The Baggies pulled a goal back right on the stroke of half time through Chris Brunt, however, while Brown Ideye completed the turnaround midway through the second half.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at whether a draw was the right result between the two relegation rivals.
Match statistics
BURNLEY
Shots: 12
On target: 5
Possession: 56%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 10
WEST BROM
Shots: 12
On target: 5
Possession: 44%
Corners: 6
Fouls: 15
Was the result fair?
Burnley will be gutted to have drawn this match having let their two-goal lead slip and they probably should have had the match wrapped up by half time. They had by far the better of the opening 45 minutes, scoring twice and only being denied another by a world-class stop from Ben Foster inside the first 10 minutes. Had they hung on to their two-goal lead until the break, they would likely have been able to see out the victory.
However, one lapse in concentration at the end of the half allowed Brunt to reduce the arrears from a corner, and that goal really seemed to rock Burnley. The second half was a much more even affair and there was a tangible feeling around Turf Moor that West Brom would go on to get an equaliser. They did exactly that and, while Burnley responded well to the setback, West Brom did enough to see out the point in the end.
Sean Dyche will certainly feel that his side could have won this game and, on the balance of play, they probably should have given their superiority in the first half. However, there was almost a sense of defeatism around the hosts after that late first-half goal and Ideye's equaliser was accompanied by a feeling of inevitability. The Baggies were somewhat fortunate to come away with a point from this one, but Burnley only really have themselves to blame.
Burnley's performance
For 45 minutes of this match, Burnley were brilliant. They played some lovely football and were comfortably the better team in the first half, creating plenty of chances and showing a clinical edge in the final third that they have sometimes lacked this season. Indeed, had Foster not made a stunning save to tip Scott Arfield's shot onto the bar early on then things may have been very different.
However, Brunt's goal seemed to take the sting out of them right before half time, and they did not play with as much freedom in the second half. They still had openings, with Joleon Lescott clearing one off the line, but they were not controlling the game as they had done before the interval. It was no surprise when Ideye levelled things up, and at that point the Clarets must have been fearing a repeat of their last home match, when Crystal Palace came from two goals down to win 3-2.
In fairness, the hosts responded well, but they could not regain the lead and were forced to settle for a point. That is enough to see them move back out of the relegation zone but, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Swansea City, Liverpool, Manchester City, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Everton as their next nine opponents, it may not be enough to save them from making a swift return to the bottom three. This was almost a must-win for Dyche's side, and he will be devastated to have let it slip away.
West Brom's performance
The Baggies could well have been dead and buried in this match by half time, but they just about hung on and ended up only being one behind at the interval. They made a very slow start to the match and deservedly found themselves 2-0 down after little more than half an hour. That deficit would have been suitable at the break as well, but Brunt's late header gave the visitors the crucial lifeline that they desperately needed following an uninspired first-half performance.
They actually were not much better in the second half, but the difference was that they were not second best as they had been throughout the opening 45 minutes. It was an even second period and could have gone either way. Much of the talk before the game surrounded Saido Berahino's omission from the starting lineup, but an early injury to Victor Anichebe meant that the youngster's exile lasted just 16 minutes. His introduction brought about an initial improvement, but ultimately it was other players who were to have the telling impact.
Berahino did have a glorious chance to win it late on, only for a combination of Tom Heaton and Ben Mee to keep his shot out on the line. That was the closest that West Brom came to picking up maximum points, but Tony Pulis will be content with his side's comeback. They showed good character to respond to going two goals behind and edge a little further away from the relegation zone as a result.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Danny Ings: Burnley may not have won this match in the end, but it was Ings who was instrumental in putting them into a commanding position. The striker, who was heavily linked with a move away from the club in January, went about his business well and was a constant thorn in West Brom's side. He did very well to set Barnes up for the opening goal and then got his own name on the scoresheet with a nice header.
Biggest gaffe
Every goal in this match was a header from a cross and, as a result, there was some suspect marking throughout. However, the gaffe of the game came late on when Jason Shackell, moments after making a fine block to deny Berahino, got himself in a muddle inside his own six-yard box and gifted an absolute sitter to the West Brom striker. Heaton and Mee managed to spare Shackell's blushes, but it was almost a suicidal piece of play from the Burnley defender.
Referee performance
Mike Dean will have busier days than this one, but he did miss one big moment in the match. Mee's cross from the left hit Gareth McAuley on the arm just inside the penalty area, and there was plenty of space between the two players for the referee to have awarded a spot kick. The visitors got away with one and it was a mistake from the officials to ignore the claims.
What next?
Burnley: Burnley's horror run of fixtures begins at Old Trafford on Wednesday as they take on Manchester United.
West Brom: West Brom, meanwhile, return to The Hawthorns on Wednesday as they welcome Swansea City to the Midlands.
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