Scott Parker discusses the importance of Burnley scoring first - like they did against Sunderland and Leeds United
It is perhaps telling that when Burnley have got their noses in front and scored first this season, they won on both occasions.
The Clarets have picked up just one point this season from losing positions, which was the 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest back in September – which saw them fall behind to Neco Williams’ strike with just two minutes on the clock.
But their two wins, which both came at home against newly-promoted sides in Sunderland and Leeds United, came as a result of having something to hold onto.
That is something Scott Parker sides do very well, as evidenced in the Championship last season when the Clarets sealed automatic promotion with 100 points to their name.
“As always when you go into a game, you always want to get in front,” Parker said.
The Burnley Express has launched a new WhatsApp channel to bring the latest news, analysis and team & injury updates directly to your phone. Simply click this link to join our Burnley Express WhatsApp channel.
“I thought we set about it well early on [against Leeds]. I thought we looked a real threat, we had some real good bits and we managed to get our noses in front [thanks to Lesley Ugochukwu’s header].
“We have to weather certain things, which is the Premier League, you're going to have to do that. But the second goal [from Loum Tchaouna] obviously comes at a brilliant time for us.
“At that point, we were in reserve at the back end of the game, there’s no denying that. You're in reserve and when that happens, you just need to go to places where there's no tactics, you just need to go to places that get you through it.
“My team over the last 14 months have shown that when you need to go to those places, they can, and we did it again here, which pleases me.”
Your next Burnley FC read: Scott Parker discusses his decision to change Burnley's system for Leeds United clash