Burnley 1, Brentford 0

Record signing Andre Gray watched from the Bob Lord Stand as his new club beat his former employers at Turf Moor.
Michael Keane rises highest to put the Clarets in frontMichael Keane rises highest to put the Clarets in front
Michael Keane rises highest to put the Clarets in front

The £6m capture, who netted 20 goals in total for Brentford, including two this season, was unavailable for selection after missing Friday’s cut-off point following his move from Griffin Park.

But he saw team-mate Michael Keane score his second goal of the season to earn the Clarets their first win of the season.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Lukas Jutkiewicz’s future at Turf Moor, Burnley boss Sean Dyche opted to partner the striker with new man Rouwen Hennings in attack.

Michael Keane rises highest to put the Clarets in frontMichael Keane rises highest to put the Clarets in front
Michael Keane rises highest to put the Clarets in front

The 26-year-old, who was expected to join Nottingham Forest before the collapse of the Henri Lansbury deal, didn’t appear to have been affected by the transfer saga early on when hitting the bye-line from James Tarkowski’s error only to find Bees defender Harlee Dean at the near post.

Moments later, as play switched to the opposite flank courtesy of Michael Duff’s raking diagonal, Michael Kightly drifted inside on to his right foot but tamely found the gloves of goalkeeper David Button.

The visitors, who had accumulated six goals and four points going in to the fixture, tried to hit the Clarets on the counter and they were presented with a clear sight of goal when Duff was booked for preventing Akaki Gogia from breaking in to the box.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Midfielder Alan Judge, with his right boot, shaped the resulting free kick towards the far corner where Tom Heaton was on hand to beat the ball away as the keeper fell to his left.

Michael Keane celebrates his goal with Ben MeeMichael Keane celebrates his goal with Ben Mee
Michael Keane celebrates his goal with Ben Mee

Brentford, who saw Marinus Dijkhuizen succeed Mark Warburton at the helm, came again and Lasse Vibe’s turn and shot from the edge of the box, after being found by Konstantin Kerschbaumer, was gathered at the second attempt by Heaton.

Kerschbaumer, signed from Admira Wacker in the summer, was instrumental as the visitors threatened again. The Austrian midfielder supplied a gloriously defence-splitting pass for Vibe who stung the legs of Heaton.

And the Dane’s failure to convert the opportunity was punished by the hosts in the 26th minute.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Tendayi Darikwa won the corner off Gogia following Scott Arfield’s incisive pass and defender Keane doubled his tally for the term to head home David Jones’s set-piece at the back post.

Arfield should’ve made the Clarets’ cushion more comfortable after the half-hour mark when stationed central to goal from Kightly’s cleared centre, but the midfielder sliced high and wide with time on his side.

The home side went in to the break a goal up, though the first half ended on a sour note when Alan McCormack was booked following a wild challenge on Ben Mee that left the full back requiring treatment.

The Clarets should have made the result more convincing after the interval, but the Bees failed to inflict the necessary sting to punish their second half profligacy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Arfield threatened first when capitalising on Button’s poor clearance but, with the goalkeeper out of position, the midfielder’s strike from 35 yards drifted past the upright.

Substitute Sam Vokes, who replaced Hennings on the hour, swept over the bar from the penalty spot after Kightly allowed Darikwa’s throw to run.

Then Jutkiewicz, in search of his first competitive goal for the club, lifted over Button and the bar when racing goal side of Dean to meet Duff’s hoisted clearance.

Matt Taylor, introduced at the expense of Kightly with a quarter-of-an-hour remaining, also went within a whisker of extending the advantage.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The former Hammer stood over a free-kick from an almost identical position as the one he converted against Birmingham City, only this time his low, driven effort flashed past the opposite post.

Marvin Sordell, on for Jutkiewicz, continued the sequence when testing Button with a right footed attempt from Vokes’s flick on.

Philipp Hoffman fired over late on for Brentford, but the Clarets held firm for maximum points.