Burnley player ratings vs West Brom with two players handed 8/10 in big win at Turf Moor

Manager Carlos Corberán had resuscitated the Baggies’ campaign as nine wins from a possible 10, heading into Friday night’s fixture under the lights, had propelled them into third spot.

It became an even greater challenge when Darnell Furlong headed the visitors into a seventh minute lead from a John Swift corner, an advantage they were able to preserve until the break.

However, the table-toppers came from behind to claim an eighth league win on the bounce in the second tier, and a ninth league win in succession on home soil, as they stretched the gap to third to 19 points.

Nathan Tella’s superb finish from Anass Zaroury’s cutting pass brought the hosts level in the 75th minute and then substitute Scott Twine’s moment of magic, with just minutes remaining, settled matters.

Here are the player ratings.

Arijanet Muric 7

Outstanding with his feet. The ex-Manchester City stopper’s distribution was as good as it has been so far this season. There wasn’t a great deal he could do to keep Darnell Furlong’s header out, he might have got away with one when turning John Swift’s corner into his own net, but he made a fine save to keep out Jayson Molumby’s strike with the score locked at 1-1.

Connor Roberts 7

Made a couple of decisive interventions in the first half when West Brom had options over to their left hand side on the counter, bursting a lung to get back and quell the threat of John Swift. Gave the Clarets the impetus to force the visitors on to the back foot with searching balls infield and combined well with Nathan Tella.

Jordan Beyer 7

Burnley’s defence looked lost at sea early on without the presence of Taylor Harwood-Bellis, but the Borussia Monchengladbach defender grabbed the game by the horns to help the hosts reassert themselves. He recently spoke about how the physicality of the Championship has helped him become a more rounded player, and his tussle with Daryl Dike will certainly contribute to his development.

Charlie Taylor 7

There were suggestions that a tactical ‘shove’ from Darnell Furlong warranted a free kick, but appeals weren’t very forthcoming and the centre back will acknowledge that he should’ve done better. Good turn of pace when retreating towards his own goal as the visitors opportunistically tried to play the ball in behind as the Clarets pushed higher up the pitch. Recovered well from a shaky start and almost netted with a stinging volley.

Ian Maatsen 7

The on loan Chelsea ace made a slightly fragile start when struggling to contain Darnell Furlong and Grady Diangana, with the majority of the Baggies’ success in the opening 20 minutes coming down that flank. However, his performance improved exponentially from the first quarter onwards and he combined with Anass Zaroury to give the away side’s goal-scoring right back one hell of a headache.

Josh Cullen 8

Tremendous. Took a little bit of time to get a hold of the game, adapting to the task in the absence of skipper Jack Cork, but his influence was key to the Clarets dictating the pace. Energetic, turning possession over in productive areas of the pitch, switched play efficiently and effectively, continued to pop up in spaces to get on the ball to hurt West Brom, and opened doors for the hosts. Also made two excellent interventions to thwart Daryl Dike in the first half and won the free kick that led to the winner.

Samuel Bastien 6.5

Handed his opportunity after training well through the week at Gawthorpe and performed admirably. Always a difficult task when deputising for club captain Jack Cork, but he provided the pivot which allowed Burnley to break out from the back, he drove forward confidently, and was always looking to get involved. One small critique is that the midfielder could perhaps release the ball slightly quicker on occasions.

Nathan Tella 7.5

The Southampton star was vibrant in the first half, but was generally kept at arm’s length by Conor Townsend. Dragged an early effort wide and tried to buy a penalty with an animated fall, but his pace and running off the ball caused real issues for West Brom in the second half. Just moments after seeing his volley blocked by Erik Pieters, he levelled with a sublime finish from Anass Zaroury’s pass.

Josh Brownhill 7

The midfielder’s guile and grit allowed Anass Zaroury to get on the ball in the build up to Burnley’s equaliser and that moment epitomised his impact on the game. Always prepared to do the dirty work, but equally as effective in and around the penalty area. Should have been awarded a penalty when Darnell Furlong forced him to ground and denied by the head of Dara O’Shea when poking Manuel Benson’s pass goalwards in the second half.

Anass Zaroury 8

Involved in many of Burnley’s highlights from the night. Provided the cross for Ashley Barnes’s attempt, which came back off the bar in the first half, saw his shot deflected wide by Okay Yokuslu after the break, and supplied the pass for Nathan Tella’s equaliser. Got the better of Darnell Furlong all night, especially after the full back collected a booking, and his showboating at the end was a joy to behold!

Ashley Barnes 6.5

First Turf Moor start since his derby day double and the striker could have added a couple more goals to his tally. His cross was diverted on to the post by former team-mate Erik Pieters in the first half and he steered an Anass Zaroury cross against the woodwork soon after. He was also fractionally offside when turning Ian Maatsen’s effort past Alex Palmer. Made his presence felt in a big win for Burnley.

Jay Rodriguez 6.5

Introduced for the final half-an-hour and helped heighten the Clarets’ conviction in the final third. Unselfishly coerced defenders out of position to afford his team-mates a passage into the penalty area, dropped deep to connect play, filtered out to both flanks to press the full backs (when out of possession) and knit passages of player together (in possession). Didn’t ignore his defensive duties, either.

Manuel Benson 6.5

Didn’t have the impact from the bench he would have liked having sustained an ankle injury following a robust challenge from Conor Townsend. Collected the ball in good areas, always looking to attack the full back, and sliced a volley wide, but far too many deliveries into the box hit the first man.

Scott Twine 7

The summer signing was only on the pitch for 10 minutes, but the set-piece specialist provided a moment of magic that allowed the Championship leaders to stretch their winning run to eight games. The substitute couldn’t wipe the smile off his face after delicately lifting his free kick over the wall to beat Alex Palmer and open his account for the club.