Scott Parker pinpoints key ingredient that earned Burnley 'massive' win against Leeds United
Scott Parker felt Burnley’s grit, determination and never-say-die mentality was the key to their “massive” win against Leeds United.
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Leeds finished the game with 71 per cent possession, and while James Trafford was in superb form in-between the sticks, the Clarets largely kept them at bay – especially in the second-half.
While they rarely threatened themselves, Parker’s men managed the game well and showed a far more pragmatic side to them that we’ve not seen for the past year or two.
“It’s a massive three points for us,” Parker said afterwards.
“It’s obviously a tough place to come, certainly for where we are and the stages of our development as well, it’s a very, very big three points.
“The foundations that got us the three points today was everything what we need to stand for as a team: grit, determination, battling spirit to a man and we showed every bit of that and that’s ultimately why we got the three points.”
The standout moment of the game came after 18 minutes when Koleosho capitalised on a slip to run 70 yards before firing past Illian Meslier.
“It’s a brilliant finish,” Parker added. “Not many can go and run 60 or 70 yards up the pitch at full pace and have the calmness to execute the finish like he did.
“I was delighted for him, I thought he was brilliant in his moments.”
While Leeds looked dangerous in the first-half, getting between the lines on a relatively regular basis, they barely threatened in the second-half and soon ran out of ideas.
“First-half I thought we started the game pretty well,” Parker reflected.
“Obviously they have a massive chance early doors from a turnover from us and we’re fortunate enough that the boy misses.
“We obviously then nudge our way [into the game] and produce a couple of half chances, Joe Worrall from a set-play and a Hannibal header. We had little bits that I liked.
“It’s fair to say during the back end of the first-half they caused us some problems. We needed to fix that at half-time, certainly down the left side because there were some real overloads on that side of the pitch.
“We fixed that though and the boys executed the plan perfectly in the second-half.”
Leeds felt they were denied a clear penalty in the first-half when Joe Worrall brought down Manor Solomon after being the wrong side of the ball.
Referee James Bell, however, pointed emphatically for a corner, much to the home fans’ fury.
Asked for his view on the incident, Parker said: “I’m not sitting on the fence, but I’ve not seen it. I didn’t think it was at real time to be honest with you. It looked like he got a toe on it.
“I think it would be unfair of me to comment on that.”