Burnley

Natalie Bromley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

For 45 minutes on Saturday, football felt normal again. I remembered what it felt like to properly celebrate a goal; I remembered the anticipation of winning a game; I felt passionate about a team and proud of a performance.

It was inevitable, really, that we would concede the equaliser - asking a defence that is poor at defending to drop deep and protect a lead was never going to end well. It is those kinds of decisions that have had me shaking my head in frustration at Scott Parker this season.

And I do question the point of playing five at the back if you are going to allow yourself to concede that many shots on your own goal.

But given that these moments have been few and far between this season, today we celebrate the positives. We were better than Tottenham Hotspur in that second half. We created chances and picked up the loose balls in midfield. We made good substitutions. And every one of the players put a shift in. When relegation is inevitably confirmed this season, I want to be able to say that we got that in every game from now on.

We are also in a weird place. We have just played three powerhouses from the Premier League – Manchester United and Spurs at Turf Moor, Liverpool away – and have drawn all three. On paper, three very impressive results.

But this has come far too late in the season to have any meaningful impact, as the Clarets find themselves significantly behind the survival line. We are told that we are learning and developing as a club and a team.

My counter to that would be that we have spent ten of the last 17 seasons in the topflight - should we not be closer to a prolonged spell in the Premier League by now?

Find more from Natalie Bromley at No Nay Never podcast, external

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

If Burnley are going to make a managerial change they need to make it now otherwise you get to a point where it is pointless and you're not going to have enough time to turn things around.

I think that would be harsh on Scott Parker having got them up into the Premier League last season, but if we look at the Premier League table they are too far adrift to mount any serious attempts at staying up.

That's just the lay of the land in the Premier League. It's always going to be difficult for those teams coming up to stay up - history tells us that.

Leeds have been on a great run but with just one defeat and a loss of confidence they can easily be sucked back in.

It would be incredibly harsh for Burnley to get rid of Parker now but stranger things have happened.

Listen to the full chat on BBC Sounds

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Burnley and Tottenham.

Here are some of your comments:

Burnley fans

Graham: Almost....but not quite! The story of Burnley's season so far. Improved performance again, and a display of what Burnley fans expect; effort; courage; resilience. In the end, though, just not enough to get over the line. We're being cut adrift, and it's now going to take more than a little luck to survive.

Martin: We played well in fits and starts. Not good enough for the Premier League and too good for the Championship, but that's where we are heading. Could this be another team rebuild or can we keep most of the squad together? I'm still not sure about Scott Parker, is he good enough? We really needed better strikers from the beginning of the season.

John: Burnley just blew their chance of going above West Ham next week. Three points from this game would have been massive.

Steve: So frustrating watching Burnley this season. There are bouts of great tackling and closing down, but too many times we give the ball away with poor passes or dwell on the ball and lose possession. Armando Broja has worked hard but he had three through balls and didn't covert one! We will keep plugging away but we are in this grey place of being too good for the Championship but not good enough for the Premier League.

Tottenham fans

Ray: The team on the pitch was well qualified to beat Burnley. Our lack of class and cutting edge up front is a massive problem. This is why Cristian Romero takes it upon himself to act as a striker at times. Many teams in the league have injuries so we can't keep hiding behind this excuse. We need to concentrate more.

Kevin: Micky van de Ven and Romero will get the plaudits for scoring goals, however, they need to start defending. Both goals were completely avoidable with a little communication. There is not a true leader in that team. Tactically I've noticed all season that we don't get players out wide to stop crosses, so that has to be on Thomas Frank. Teams with similar injury issues either have the quality to compete, or the guts to dig in, and this team has neither.

Barry: We should look at the players as well as Frank. He picked eight of the players that played against Borussia Dortmund and they looked like chalk and cheese. Why they can't play two consecutive matches well is a question that needs answering.

Raj: The players battled hard and are clearly trying, as is Frank, but it clearly isn't working. No clear strategy or vision of how to play in the final third which is why goals are lacking and games are not won. The team look lost once they get into the opposition box. Sadly, Frank needs to go as he's in over his head.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Ashley Williams join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Manchester City 2-0 Wolves

• Burnley 2-2 Tottenham

• Bournemouth 3-2 Liverpool

Phil McNulty
Chief football writer

Image source, Getty Images

Burnley manager Scott Parker looked downcast as he made his way off at the final whistle, the opportunity of a rare victory snatched away in the closing moments.

In a match of dubious quality, The Clarets' passive approach and lack of conviction allowed Spurs to dominate - without ever looking fluent - until they were thrown a lifeline with Axel Tuanzebe's equaliser at the end of the first half.

Burnley showed more intent after the break but still struggled to carve out chances until Parker made changes that injected life into his team.

Foster looked to have given them their first league win in 14 games, but Burnley could not hold out for a victory that would have been even more valuable after West Ham United's win against Sunderland, their second in succession in the league, earlier on Saturday.

Burnley's point was mainly thanks to the superb goalkeeping of Martin Dubravka, who saved the best of a string of outstanding saves until the last when he somehow clawed out Tel's late header.

It left Burnley contemplating three points until Cristian Romero's last-gasp intervention left them feeling a big opportunity had passed them by.

Burnley boss Scott Parker, spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side's draw with Tottenham: "I think we did [enough to win the game].

"You score the second and take the lead, you understand that at that moment, they're going to commit a lot more men forward and the centre-half they commit ends up scoring the goal.

"A little bit disappointing, no doubt, because you're that close and in the last dying seconds you concede. But overall, really pleased with my team.

"I thought we showed an incredible spirit today and showed our quality at time. After going a goal down, our response from superb. Just disappointed we didn't hold on."

On reaction to going behind: "That's the key. In our position, we're in and around it. Human natural is that in these moments you can become very nervy, very edgy but I've not seen that from my group this season.

"Our reaction was superb. We need to continue where we're going. If you look at the start of this season, we've improved massively.

"We've played Manchester United and Liverpool, and improved in our second performance. Now we've played Tottenham, who we played opening day, and at times looked a little bit startled and we've put in another good performance here.

"I know we need some wins, I'm not hiding from that fact, and we were close to day, but there has been some real improvement."

On Lyle Foster sub: "We needed to freshen things up, the boys gave everything. Lyle comes in and scores a goal, which was brilliant. This is a tight group, a together group and we need everyone to give us a chance.

"We've spoken about the fine margins throughout this year and again there has been massively improvement for sure. Some real positives today and we'll take them and carry them forward with us."

On turning draws into wins: "No denying that, we're at that point now. Can we turn these draws into wins? That's what we'll endeavour to do."

Did you know?

• Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka has made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League this season (94). Only once has he made more saves in a Premier League match than his nine on Saturday (10 vs Liverpool in January 2024).

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Burnley's performance

What did you make of Tottenham's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Burnley are unchanged from the side that got a point against Liverpool last time out.

Burnley XI: Dubravka, Walker (c), Esteve, Tuanzebe, Ugochukwu, Edwards, Anthony, Humphreys, Florentino, Pires, Broja.

Subs: Weiss, Larsen, Foster, Tchaouna, Ekdal, Sonne, Mejbri, Laurent, Barnes.

Yves Bissouma starts for Tottenham, while Dominic Solanke retains his play in the first XI after scoring on his first start of the season against Borussia Dortmund in midweek.

Tottenham XI: Vicario, Danso, Xavi, Bissouma, Romero (c), Solanke, Gallagher, Porro, Spence, Odobert, van de Ven.

Subs: Kinsky, Dragusin, Tel, Udogie, Gray, Kolo Muani, Scarlett, Byfield, Williams-Barnett.

There are five games in the Premier League on Saturday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• West Ham v Sunderland (12:30)

• Burnley v Tottenham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Brighton

• Man City v Wolves - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Bournemouth v Liverpool (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Manchester City v Wolves" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Bournemouth v Liverpool", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

I am covering this game for BBC Radio 5 Live with Ian Dennis and it is another tricky one to call.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank really needed Tuesday's win over Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League but he is still under pressure, and this is not an easy game for Spurs either.

When Liverpool went 1-0 up against Burnley last week and were creating loads of chances, I thought I was on for an exact score - I'd gone for a 2-0 Reds win.

I couldn't believe it when Burnley equalised but that result sums them up, because they are still scrapping for survival at the bottom of the table, and fighting hard in every game.

It is unlikely they are going to stay up from here, but it is not impossible. They probably need another five or six wins from their last 16 games - and they have had only three so far from their first 22.

Their home games are going to be crucial to get them to safety, so this almost feels must-win for Scott Parker's side, even at this stage.

The Clarets have been competitive against everyone so far, including at Anfield last week, but I still don't see them getting the result they need.

This is going be a very tight game and it smells of a 1-1 to me, but we have already had 17 goalless draws in the Premier League this season, so I am going on trend and picking another one here.

That should guarantee we see a few goals now. I have got Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario in my fantasy team, so I am asking for trouble really.

Sutton's prediction: 0-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

You can listen to Sutton's full commentary of Burnley v Spurs on BBC Radio 5 Live

Burnley look to end their 13-match league run without a victory against out-of-form Tottenham at Turf Moor.

Sitting a lofty fifth in the Champions League table, above the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City and last year's finalists Inter Milan and Paris St-Germain, is in stark contrast to Tottenham's lowly position of 14th in the Premier League.

The encouraging victory over Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday means Spurs have lost just one of their seven games in Europe this season.

How under-pressure boss Thomas Frank must wish he could transfer some of this continental form into the bread and butter of the Premier League, given his side have picked up a measly 10 top-flight points from a possible 39 dating back to October.

Four wins from their four Champions League home games is twice as many as they've accrued from their 11 league matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.

Their away form continues to prop up their campaign with a top-flight high of 67% of their points coming on the road (18 of 27), while only leaders Arsenal have won more away points (21) than Spurs.

While most teams would relish a fixture versus a side in the bottom three, Tottenham have actually lost four of their last eight against clubs in the relegation zone, including last Saturday's demoralising defeat at home to West Ham.

They let in a 90th-minute winner for the second consecutive fixture, having also done so in their previous match against Bournemouth. It will come as no surprise to Tottenham fans that they own the overall Premier League record for conceding the most such goals. It is the first time, though, that they have done so in successive games.

Burnley look to become latest club to end their winless run against Spurs

Against Spurs, Bournemouth ended their 11-game winless league run while West Ham's 10-match streak without a victory also came to a halt. Burnley go into Saturday's match having not won in 13 top-flight matches. The well-used phrase "Dr Tottenham will see you now" has never felt more apt.

The Clarets last tasted victory in the league on 26 October. It is their longest top-flight run without a victory since August to October 1970 and in any league since an 18-match streak between December 2006 and March 2007 in the Championship.

However, after losing seven in a row, they have battled back to draw four of their last six, including an impressive point at Liverpool last Saturday.

Marcus Edwards scored his first Premier League goal in that game as he continues a resurgence of his own. The one-time Tottenham prodigy is finding some much-needed form after a slow start to life in the top flight.

Another Spurs alumni, Burnley boss Scott Parker, will be desperate for his team to start turning one point into three against his former side, although recent history is against the Clarets.

They have lost six of their last seven league matches against the north Londoners, including the last four, while Tottenham's average of 2.2 goals-per-game in the Premier League against the Clarets (41 goals in 19 games) is their second highest against a side they have faced 10 or more times.

Is there a more wholesome sight than one of your players flying into a tackle?

For all the creativity, smart finishing and wonder goals the Premier League can offer, few such joys would be possible were it not for those feisty fellows charging around to win the ball back for the cause.

This season, those in the graphic above top the charts for putting their foot in.

Tottenham's Joao Palhinha was seemingly born in a pair of shinpads and primed to launch in on someone, while Everton's James Garner continues to impress this season in various areas of his game - underlining why talk of an England call-up continues.

Keep an eye out for these men this weekend. Their opponents will almost certainly end up seeing more of them than they'd bargained for.

Southampton are facing a battle to hold on to defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis with Burnley interested in re-signing the 23-year-old who spent a season-long loan with the Clarets from Manchester City for the 2022-23 campaign. (Four-Four-Two), external

Read all the latest EFL transfer rumours in Friday's gossip column here.

Watch Burnley boss Scott Parker's news conference before Saturday's Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur (15:00 GMT kick-off).

BBC Radio Lancashire have commentary of the game on 95.5FM with Scott Read and Glen Little.

Grace Wheeler
BBC Sport

Burnley boss Scott Parker has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur at Turf Moor (kick-off 15:00).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• The manager updated the media on his team news with injury updates to Zian Flemming and Joe Worrall: "Both have been training this week. Zian was later in terms of retuning, so we will make a call closer to the game. He was in training yesterday but has had a down day today so we will make a call. Everyone else is fit and ready."

• Parker didn't want to specifically say his plans for the rest of the January transfer window but he did say: "We are active and trying to do things. There are loads of things that fall in to play and variables to make a good/right decision."

• He was asked if he can inform the media of the players that could leave Burnley, like Oliver Sonne: "He could move and there could be an option there and for a few players with lack of game time. We will see what we can do."

• He added: "There is a 25-man squad and it's filled so there is decisions to be made. If someone goes then there are decisions that are going to arise if there is one."

• He was asked if the pressure Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has come under affects him and his team: "It doesn't change any dynamic, every week you come into a game and every manager will come under pressure. For us it doesn't change anything and it is not something we are going to focus on."

• Parker commented on if he has seen Marcus Edwards improve recently: "I have seen a spring over the last few weeks. When players don't get game time you see different habits. He has been superb and has been given the opportunity. His general performance all round has been brilliant since coming back into the team. I am really pleased for him."

• The boss commented on if he is surprised at Bashir Humphreys' success: "I haven't been surprised. It's his first year at the Premier League level and coming off a long term injury. I am not surprised because of what I see every day and the quality he has as a man. He has been really good for us."

• Parker was asked about his Burnley's progression throughout the season: "I think the first game of the season was a shock to us, we were a young team. It was an eye opener for players and we showed that in our game. The team have developed and learnt and we have shown that throughout the season. A lot of learning has been done."

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to Burnley v Tottenham on BBC Radio 5 Live from 15:00

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

From the Premier League's elite to the soggy pitches of Sunday league, injuries are part and parcel of football - but which top-flight teams have been worst affected so far this season?

With help from injury expert Ben Dinnery, of premierinjuries.com,, external BBC Sport has examined which sides have been hit the hardest, the impact injuries can have on under-fire managers - and whether things are always as bad as they seem.

• Read more detail on how clubs have been affected by injuries here

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Lisandro Martinez's goal for Manchester United at Burnley earlier this month should not have been ruled out by referee Stuart Attwell, the Premier League's Key Match Incidents (KMI) Panel has said.

However, the KMI Panel supported the decision of VAR official Craig Pawson not to intervene and give the goal.

United trailed 1-0 in the 27th minute when Martinez thought he had equalised from a corner routine. The referee blew for a foul by the scorer on Kyle Walker which happened a few seconds before the goal.

The KMI Panel voted 3-2 that it was not a foul and it should have been a goal on-field. But it was a 4-1 vote in favour of no VAR intervention.

The panel felt that "the contact was exaggerated by Walker and the decision to disallow the goal for a foul was incorrect".

It added: "The decision not to intervene by VAR was split but supported on the basis it wasn't a clear and obvious error."

Walker's challenge on Patrick Dorgu, where the Manchester United defender appeared to be stood on, was not considered to be at the threshold for a KMI.

The game at Turf Moor finished 2-2.

Natalie Bromley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Just as the gossip train among the Burnley faithful started to grumble with the lack of January transfer activity, up pops a rumour that Scott Parker is interested in the services of West Ham midfielder James Ward-Prowse. A positive move that would make an immediate improvement to the Burnley starting XI. I am excited by this rumour - he is exactly what we need.

Other than that, there appears to be nothing else to report in terms of transfers. And my goodness, are we a side in desperate need of something fresh being injected into it.

In the latest episode of Burnley's in-house documentary, we saw comments that we expected to be busy in the run-up to the last weekend. I understand that the January window is hard - one made all the harder this year with Afcon - but waiting until the end of the month and scooping up 'what's left' on the cheap isn't going to do it.

We need cover in midfield. We need goals. We need improvements. We need to at least try to stay in the league.

And the result at Anfield on Saturday was a real positive step in that direction. Not that a point is likely to be enough to make a significant dent - the Leeds and West Ham wins were a blow - but it demonstrated that courage and fight can make a difference.

Parker could do with taking note of what happens when you are brave. I have talked a lot about the difference it makes when you try to win a game, and too many times this season, this Burnley side has been passive and insipid right up to the point that the game is lost. Then they start this incredible fightback.

Courage isn't about stepping up when you've nothing to lose. It is about stepping up when you have everything to lose.

Go out and try to win the games - you never know what might happen.

Find more from Natalie Bromley at No Nay Never podcast, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Liverpool and Burnley.

Here are some of your comments:

Liverpool fans

Ken: Incredibly frustrating result after an increasingly tepid performance. Gone is the intensity that has been Liverpool's hallmark in recent years. At one point at 1-0, Dominik Szoboszlai decided not to launch a counter-attack and that sums up this Arne Slot team - devoid of killer instinct and risk-averse.

Grant: At this point, the opposition doesn't matter. We have coach who is not aligned with this team, a captain who shows no leadership on the pitch and players who don't take any responsibility. This is not the Liverpool we know.

TJ: The longer the game went on, the more predictable and less adventurous we became. There were far too many slow, square passes, and when we did finally try to penetrate Burnley's 'low block', the receiving player invariably had their back to the goal, rather than on the half-turn. Consequently, it's a catalogue of attempted flicks that rarely create scoring opportunities. It's hardly 'edge of your seat' stuff. Come on, Liverpool. Entertain us...

Satnam: This is a team that plays the Slot way. It's dire, drab and dull. He won us a league and forever will be remembered for that, but he does not have a clue how to get us out of the current situation. Results over the 2025 calendar year and start of 2026 have not been good enough on the whole.

Burnley fans

Alex: A draw is probably not enough, but we showed fight and that counts for a lot to the fans. Running their backsides off, throwing their bodies at shots - that's what we want to see!

Neil: Superb. Full of fight and endeavour. If we are going down, this is the way to do it.

Paul: Defended well. Yet another soft penalty, but fortunate that he missed. Showed a bit of spirit in the second half. We have proved we can be dangerous and are a better team than our position suggests. It's just a very tough league to win matches in.

KC: Tenacious... kept Liverpool at bay.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Chelsea 2-0 Brentford

• Tottenham 1-2 West Ham

• Nottingham Forest 0-0 Arsenal

Aadam Patel
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

As Anfield emptied out, the Burnley players and their travelling supporters celebrated jubilantly.

West Ham's win at Spurs was bad news for the Clarets' slim survival hopes, but this result was a rare moment of joy in an otherwise tough season for Scott Parker's side.

They are yet to keep an away clean sheet and are winless in their past 13, but showed great spirit to earn a point at the champions.

On another day, Burnley could have been three or four goals down by the time they scored, but they showed courage and took advantage of Liverpool's sloppiness.

After failing to score or assist in any of his first six Premier League appearances for the club, Edwards has three goal involvements in his past six games (one goal, two assists).

The visitors also had Dubravka to thank for limiting Liverpool with a string of crucial saves.

In all probability, Burnley look unlikely to stay up - but they have now only lost two of their past six league games (drawn four), having lost seven in a row before that.

Burnley boss Scott Parker speaking to Match of the Day: "The discipline we showed today, the commitment and the bravery and courage. We caused Liverpool problems. Overall we were superb. It's fair to say over the course of this season we have been competitive in the majority of games we have played. The points don't represent that, but today is a massive point for us.

"The first half there were certain things that we needed to change. One of those things was our positioning and the element of being braver and more courageous. First half was tough for us. Second half we were brilliant, brave and created a couple of very good chances."

On Marcus Edwards' goal: "Massive for Marcus. Unbelievable finish and a well-worked goal. He was a bright light, especially in the second half. I asked the team to try and leave a mark today and they did that to a man."

On picking up points against the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United: "Massive points. Our season probably won't be decided on games like today or Manchester United at home. But you want to pick up points against those teams and we have done that. We need to continue that."

Did you know?

• Burnley have only lost two of their last six Premier League games (D4), having lost each of their prior seven matches in the competition.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Liverpool's performance

What did you make of Burnley's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies