Sheffield Wednesday 0-2 Burnley: Unbeaten run continues as Clarets move into top spot

Goals in either half from Jaidon Anthony, his first in a Burnley shirt, and Josh Brownhill, his fifth of the campaign, saw the Clarets pick up their sixth win from their first 10 games.

With previous league leaders Sunderland not in action until Sunday, Scott Parker’s side leapfrog three sides into top spot, two points ahead of the Black Cats in second.

Burnley edged their noses in front during an even, topsy-turvy first-half where both sides had chances in what was a far more eventful game than previous encounters involving the Clarets.

Once Brownhill added a second at the start of the second half, the game was as good as over as the visitors saw out the remainder of the game with ease - squandering good chances to add to their tally too.

In holding out for a fourth straight clean sheet, Parker’s men - who are unbeaten in their last seven outings - have now not conceded in six hours and 48 minutes’ worth of football.

Parker opted to make three changes to his team from the side that played out a frustrating goalless draw against Preston North End in their last outing before the international break.

Since that game, the Clarets were dealt a fitness blow with Lyle Foster suffering a knee injury while on international duty with South Africa.

Zian Flemming was Foster’s like-for-like replacement, while Connor Roberts and Josh Laurent also came into the side in place of Lucas Pires and Hannibal.

With Pires dropping down to the bench, that saw Bashir Humphreys move over to left-back.

Joe Worrall remains sidelined with an impact injury alongside the longer-term absentees Jordan Beyer, Hjalmar Ekdal, Hannes Delcroix, Aaron Ramsey, Manuel Benson, Nathan Redmond and Mike Tresor.

As for Wednesday, they also made three changes as Danny Rohl shuffled his side from their dramatic late win against Coventry City before the break.

It was Burnley who made the brighter start though, almost finding themselves through on goal inside the opening 60 seconds when Flemming set Jaidon Anthony free with a clever kick, only for a defender to recover and clear behind for a corner.

The Clarets continued to show good intent early on, with Flemming again involved with a low drive that was comfortably handled by goalkeeper James Beadle.

The hosts threatened for the first time on seven minutes when they picked out the run of Djeidi Gassama, but Bashir Humphreys got across from left-back to make a vital interception.

Burnley needed some brave goalkeeping from James Trafford to keep them on level terms when he claimed the ball at the feet of Shea Charles, who was hurtling towards goal at some pace.

The visitors, who were being countered on too easily, were given another let off when a cross in from the right just eluded Gassama in the centre.

Firmly on the backfoot, Burnley did briefly threaten when Flemming turned and volleyed wide after shoulder barging his marker off the ball.

The home goalkeeper Beadle was called into action again to deal with Josh Laurent’s pullback after the Burnley midfielder had just about managed to keep the ball in play, much to the home fans’ frustration. While the ball was palmed into a crowded six-yard box, Wednesday were able to clear.

With the momentum once again swinging in Burnley’s favour, Josh Brownhill came close to notching his fifth of the season when the ball landed at his feet on the edge of the box following a cleverly worked free-kick routine.

Brownhill struck the ball well but it took a wicked deflection off a defender that steered it just wide of the post.

While Burnley were now back in control of general play at this stage of proceedings, they ought to have gone a goal down on the half-hour mark when the unmarked Ike Ugbo inexplicably headed over from Barry Bannan’s pinpoint free-kick.

Trafford then made another smart stop to deny Olaf Kobacki’s low effort at his near post as the game threatened to take another shift in momentum.

That all changed eight minutes before the interval though when Burnley were gifted the lead following a defensive howler.

CJ Egan-Riley forced a mistake with a hopeful ball forward to Jaidon Anthony, but it looked like it would be easily cut out by defender Valery. But he got his feet mixed up, allowing Anthony to surge through on goal one-on-one with the keeper and he made no mistake, slotting it home with a cool finish.

Burnley managed to hold out until half-time but were fortunate not to be pegged back with the first action of the second-half when a dangerous ball across the face of their six-yard box went unpunished.

What followed transpired to be a major turning point in the game as Burnley doubled their lead with a goal very much against the run of play.

Skipper Josh Brownhill was the man to get it, steering home from close range for his fifth of the season already, following up after Flemming had been denied by the keeper.

Following the jubilant celebrations in front of the away end, Brownhill was now brimming with confidence and tried his luck from all of 30 yards, from the angle too, and dipped a howitzer narrowly over the bar.

The Clarets almost added a third, which would have put the game to bed for good, when Laurent glanced a header narrowly wide from Brownhill’s pinpoint cross.

Jeremy Sarmiento, just off the bench for Koleosho, wasted a golden chance to make it three when he ignored teammates in space in the middle to blaze over from the angle.

The winger was denied by the woodwork in the 80th minute, seeing his header rebound off the post after Anthony’s free-kick had been well saved by Beadle.

The Owls sustained a bit of late pressure and should have added a late consolation in stoppage time when a defensive mix up between James Trafford and Maxime Esteve gifted Michael Smith the chance to volley into the back of the empty net, but he rifled over the bar.

It was otherwise too little, too late as Burnley held out for another clean sheet and a big three points.

TEAMS

Sheff Weds: Beadle, Valentin (Ingelsson), Valery, Bernard, Famewo, Johnson, Charles (Palmer), Bannan (J. Lowe), Gassama, Kobacki (Musaba), Ugbo (Smith)

Subs not used: Charles, M. Lowe, Iorfa, McNeill

Burnley: Trafford, Roberts, Egan-Riley, Esteve, Humphreys, Cullen (Massengo), Laurent, Brownhill, Koleosho (Sarmiento), Anthony, Flemming

Subs not used: Hladky, Egan, Pires, Hannibal, Agyei, Hountondji, Rodriguez

Referee: Michael Salisbury

Attendance: 28,105