TALKING POINTS: Brighton & Hove Albion 0 Burnley 0

Burnley clambered off the foot of the Premier League table following a second successive goalless draw on the road.
Burnley's Ben Mee and Adam Webster of Brighton and Hove Albion challenge for the ball during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley at American Express Community Stadium on November 06, 2020 in Brighton, England.Burnley's Ben Mee and Adam Webster of Brighton and Hove Albion challenge for the ball during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley at American Express Community Stadium on November 06, 2020 in Brighton, England.
Burnley's Ben Mee and Adam Webster of Brighton and Hove Albion challenge for the ball during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley at American Express Community Stadium on November 06, 2020 in Brighton, England.

The Clarets - who earned their first point of the campaign at The Hawthorns last month - were able to keep Brighton out on this occasion.

Sean Dyche's side dragged Sheffield United to the bottom of the pile as a result, but they still remain without a win after seven games.

Here are the talking points from the game:

Brighton's Ivorian midfielder Yves Bissouma (C) vies for the ball against Burnley's English striker Ashley Barnes (R) during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Burnley at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on November 6, 2020.Brighton's Ivorian midfielder Yves Bissouma (C) vies for the ball against Burnley's English striker Ashley Barnes (R) during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Burnley at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on November 6, 2020.
Brighton's Ivorian midfielder Yves Bissouma (C) vies for the ball against Burnley's English striker Ashley Barnes (R) during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Burnley at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on November 6, 2020.

BEN MEE

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Burnley have now kept 106 clean sheets in the league during Sean Dyche's eight-year reign at Turf Moor, and Ben Mee has played his part in the majority of those.

The ultra consistent captain, who has now featured 322 times for the club, is a commanding presence for the Clarets, and continuously brings out the best of those around him.

The 31-year-old's commitment to the cause is infectious, whether he's putting his head in where it hurts to block the ball on the line, acrobatically hacking the ball off the line, or putting his body on the line to block.

Robbie Brady of Burnley is challenged by Dan Burn of Brighton and Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley at American Express Community Stadium on November 06, 2020 in Brighton, England.Robbie Brady of Burnley is challenged by Dan Burn of Brighton and Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley at American Express Community Stadium on November 06, 2020 in Brighton, England.
Robbie Brady of Burnley is challenged by Dan Burn of Brighton and Hove Albion during the Premier League match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Burnley at American Express Community Stadium on November 06, 2020 in Brighton, England.

"Thou shalt not pass" is the message. Mee made 10 blocks to ensure the Seagulls didn't breach Nick Pope's guard at the Amex Stadium.

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The centre back is the consummate professional. The ex-Manchester City defender hasn't finished outside the top 10 statistically in that category over the last four seasons in the top flight, averaging 42.3 blocks per season.

He's made 900 clearances in that time, which included top five finishes in 2016/17 and 2018/19, and has averaged 130.3 headed clearances.

And, on top of all that, his return brings a bit more balance to the back line, with James Tarkowski reverting to his role on the right hand side of the two.

Brighton's English defender Ben White (L) closes in on Burnley's English midfielder Dwight McNeil (R) as he runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Burnley at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on November 6, 2020.Brighton's English defender Ben White (L) closes in on Burnley's English midfielder Dwight McNeil (R) as he runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Burnley at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on November 6, 2020.
Brighton's English defender Ben White (L) closes in on Burnley's English midfielder Dwight McNeil (R) as he runs with the ball during the English Premier League football match between Brighton and Hove Albion and Burnley at the American Express Community Stadium in Brighton, southern England on November 6, 2020.

"He has an effect, not just as a player, but as a captain as well and I thought he gave an assured performance," said Dyche, in his post-match assessment.

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"He will get fitter and stronger for having that under his belt and some more work over the international break.

"Ben performed very well tonight and I think he will get even fitter and even sharper. He has earned his spurs.

"The way he is as a captain, the way he conducts himself on and off the pitch and also his consistency levels."

PERSONALITY

BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Adrian Chiles didn't really know what to make of the new phrase that had been coined by managers throughout the top flight.

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The West Bromwich Albion supporter questioned whether the term 'personality' was appropriate, or had any relevance, in the conclusion of a team's performance.

Brighton & Hove Albion boss Graham Potter was one of the first coaches to drop it into a post-match interview this term, while Arsenal's head coach Mikel Arteta and Aston Villa manager Dean Smith did the same.

Whatever your view, Burnley's split personality continues to be a cause for concern. Yes they shut the home side out and, yes, they defended doggedly as a unit.

With Dyche commenting: “I think we’ve had three out of the last four games where there has at least been a performance, especially the feel of the performance.

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“The nature of how we’ve had to go through the Premier League, we’ve had to defend very well, which we did tonight, diligently, and we’ve had to try and create when we could.

“A lot of the performance was right about us, we know we’ve got to continue to search for better quality chances, but a lot of the performance was right about what we found has been successful for us over a number of years in the Premier League.

“We’ve got to work diligently as a side and defend very well, and we did that."

However, the Clarets are still allowing the opposition to get far too many shots away from inside the penalty area while any threat they had once carried at the other end of the field has been significantly and, quite worryingly, diluted.

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The home side had 12 shots in the first half, the most they had ever attempted in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game, with Tariq Lamptey and Danny Welbeck both wasting golden opportunities.

The Seagulls conjured 19 attempts in total by the time referee Mike Dean's final whistle had sounded - the most by any side without managing to score in the division this season.

A more clinical outfit may have condemned the Clarets to a sixth defeat of the campaign heading into the international break.

STARVED OF CREATIVITY

Burnley have often managed to find a way to win under Dyche. Performances haven't always been aesthetically pleasing but, more often than not, they've often been productive.

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Of Burnley's 121 league wins during his time in charge, 77 have come with a clean sheet, while just short of a third of those (40) have finished 1-0.

That has defined the Clarets' identity throughout Dyche's tenure. It's a big part of their DNA and the foundation of Dyche's managerial makeup.

But Burnley's forwards are feeding off scraps at present with chances few and far between. Aside from Matt Lowton's deceptive cross, which caught Mat Ryan out when coming back off the bar, the visitors didn't trouble the Australian stopper.

The wide men failed to deliver and Burnley's middle pairing, despite their best efforts, couldn't get close enough to Chris Wood or Ashley Barnes, as the strikers struggled to make the ball stick.

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The Clarets couldn't muster a shot on target at home to Chelsea and their xG rating in the South East was a measly 0.33.

They've now gone 389 minutes without a goal in the Premier League and it's the first time since May 2015 that they have failed to score in four consecutive matches at this level.

Dyche said: "It is difficult to create chances in the Premier League, that is why players who take them cost £50m and we know that is not our bag.

"Historically we take chances, we might average nine to 12 chances a game but it is the quality of chance.

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"Tonight we still found moments but not clear chances and I think we have to keep working and searching for those."

START THE COUNT

Southampton poked fun at President Donald Trump's US election tweet when posting 'Stop the count!' after going top of the Premier League for the first time in their history.

But Burnley, without a win in seven, desperately need to get the count started if they're to avoid eviction from the 'White House' of English football.

Burnley's tally of two points is their joint-lowest after their first seven league games of a season in their history.

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A total of 21 teams in the 28-year history of the Premier League have had two points or less at this stage of the campaign.

Only eight of those have survived: Southampton, Blackburn Rovers (97/98), Southampton (98/99), Newcastle United (99/00), Spurs (08/09), Sunderland (13/14 and 15/16), Crystal Palace (17/18) and Newcastle United (18/19).

With Swindon Town (93/94), Manchester City (95/96), Wimbledon (97/98), Sheffield Wednesday (99/00), Wolves (03/04), Crystal Palace (04/05), Portsmouth (09/10), QPR (12/13), Sunderland (16/17), Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town (18/19) and Watford (19/20) all facing the drop.

The Clarets, who returned to the Championship having failed to win any of their opening 10 fixtures in 2014/15, will have to act quick if they're to avoid a repeat.

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