Brighton and Hove Albion vs Burnley. Premier League.
Amex StadiumAttendance29,921.
Match report and free match highlights as Wout Weghorst, Josh Brownhill and Aaron Lennon help Burnley claim first Premier League win since October 30 - and first away win of the season; Victory enough to lift Burnley off foot of table on goal difference
Sunday 20 February 2022 17:05, UK
Burnley breathed life into their Premier League survival bid as an 11-game winless run in the top-flight was brought to an emphatic end with a 3-0 victory at Brighton.
The Clarets kicked off at the Amex Stadium eight points from safety and bottom of the table after Newcastle's draw at West Ham but were inspired to a first league win since October 30 when striker Wout Weghorst opened his account for the club on 21 minutes.
Josh Brownhill's deflected strike doubled Burnley's advantage five minutes before the interval and a first away victory of the season was secured on 69 minutes when Aaron Lennon rifled in a stunning third.
For as brilliant Burnley were, Brighton were equally as poor, with the Seagulls outplayed from the first whistle and unable to spoil a momentous occasion for Sean Dyche, who marked his 250th game as a Premier League manager with his 150th win as Clarets boss.
Burnley's rare and much-needed victory is enough to lift them off the foot of the table, above Norwich - who lost 3-1 at Liverpool - on goal difference. Brighton remain ninth after an outing to forget for Graham Potter's side.
Burnley made the brighter start, taking the game to Brighton from the first whistle, and their efforts were very nearly rewarded with the breakthrough inside 10 minutes, but right-back Connor Roberts' speculative effort cannoned off the bar after sailing over the flailing Robert Sanchez.
The Clarets didn't have to wait long for their opener, though. Midway through the first period, Aaron Lennon's clever reverse-pass around the corner released Roberts, who laid the ball into the path of Weghorst, who opened his Premier League account with an unerring finish at the near post.
Brighton should have levelled on 36 minutes, but the unmarked Adam Lallana headed a gilt-edged opportunity from Tariq Lamptey's cross wide, and four minutes later the Seagulls were punished for their profligacy.
Moments after Shane Duffy and goalkeeper Sanchez had come to blows after a defensive mix-up, Weghorst capitalised on more hesitant defending and flicked the ball on to Brownhill, who checked inside and found the net with a shot which bewildered Sanchez after deflecting off Marc Cucurella and Joel Veltman.
After a disjointed start to the second period in which Neal Maupay's wide volley was the closest they came to staging a comeback, Brighton were put out of their misery 21 minutes from time.
Substitute Jay Rodriguez bundled his way to the edge of the area and offloaded the ball to the evergreen Lennon, who capped a fine individual and team performance with a thunderous shot into the top corner as Burnley secured a priceless away victory in their battle against the drop.
Sky Sports' Jack Wilkinson:
Graham Potter was under no illusions of the task placed in front of his Brighton team. Many have written off Burnley's survival chances, but not Potter - and after Saturday's 3-0 victory at the Amex, the Clarets' relegation rivals would be wise not to fail into that trap.
Burnley have been here before, their track record of surviving the drop has underpinned this season's bid for safety amid mid a run of promising yet fruitless performances against the division's elite.
Rooted to the foot of the Premier League and eight points from safety at kick-off, few gave Burnley a chance of claiming a first victory since the end of October but claim it they did - and in emphatic style.
It was a performance which illustrated that Burnley have all the ingredients to haul themselves out of the predicament they find themselves in.
In Sean Dyche, they have a manager with pedigree, who won't wilt under the pressure surrounding the club. In Wout Weghorst, they have a focal point in attack who, having just had his first taste of scoring in the Premier League, could really take off. And supporting the Dutchman, the precocious talents of Maxwel Cornet and Dwight McNeil.
Burnley have the tools at their disposal to secure another season of top-flight football but the only thing missing was the spark. The manner of this victory could be the catalyst they have been craving.
Burnley boss Sean Dyche told Sky Sports: "[The performance] is certainly up there. The change in mentality has been clear since the Arsenal game. The last four performances have led to this one, we've been decent in all of them and only got three points, but they were of course against the top sides.
"We came out today with the right mentality, performance level, and the right detail. The details were right today in both boxes, the energy and belief were right, but the details were massive, we delivered them very well today.
"It was great play [for Weghorst's goal], and a great finish. He's looked likely to score since he's been here, he's found chances for himself and the team. Brownhill was industrious with his performance, and there was a great finish from Lennon.
"There was a lot of things to be pleased with today. It's been coming, it's been building. It sounds easy to say that but it's not easy. The players have kept believing. This is only another shift, we have still have plenty to do."
Brighton boss Graham Potter told Sky Sports: "It's a disappointing performance and result. You have to say congratulations to Burnley, they deserved that thoroughly. We weren't good, I have to take responsibility for that. In defence of the team, it doesn't happen very often, but we have to be honest and say we weren't at our best. When you are like that in the Premier League, you can lose.
"We didn't start well, we were on the back foot from the start. We had to change a little bit to get a foothold in the game, we did that well, but conceded a second as we were trying to get back in. In the end, we had the life sucked out of us a 3-0. It was a tough afternoon. We have to learn from it to get better, which we will. All you can say is we weren't good enough and Burnley deserved to win."
Wout Weghorst scored his first Premier League goal for Burnley, becoming the first Dutchman to score for the club in the competition.
Brighton host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday at 3pm, while Burnley entertain Tottenham on Wednesday at 7.30pm.
