Stoke City 0-2 Burnley: Jay Rodriguez and Josh Brownhill's penalty seal Clarets win
Report and free match highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Stoke City and Burnley at the bet365 Stadium on Saturday; Jay Rodriguez and a Josh Brownhill penalty seal victory for Scott Parker's Clarets as they climb to second.
Saturday 30 November 2024 18:52, UK
Burnley moved up to second place in the Championship table after beating Stoke 2-0 to make it four straight wins and five consecutive clean sheets.
Jay Rodriguez's opener shortly after the break was added to by substitute Josh Brownhill's late penalty as Scott Parker's side took full advantage of Leeds' defeat to Blackburn earlier in the day and leapfrog their promotion rivals.
The Clarets, who trail table toppers Sheffield United by two points, have now kept a total of 12 clean sheets this season and have still only conceded six goals - the fewest number at this stage of the campaign than any team in Championship history.
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Defeat for Stoke ends their five-match unbeaten run and sees them remain in 14th place on 21 points.
After an uneventful start to the match, the first chance of note fell to Burnley in the 18th minute when Rodriguez's looping header went narrowly over the crossbar from Luca Koleosho's delivery.
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The visitors threatened again through Koleosho just before the half-hour mark, but the winger's low effort from 12 yards was kept out by the leg of Potters goalkeeper Viktor Johansson.
Down at the other end, Million Manhoef's goal-bound shot from Tom Cannon's pull-back was well blocked by Maxime Esteve.
And the hosts came even closer to taking the lead shortly before half-time, with Cannon's close-range attempt well saved by James Trafford and Bae Jun-ho's deflected backheel from the rebound cleared off the line by CJ Egan-Riley.
Having managed to withstand Stoke's growing pressure to go in level at half-time, Burnley went ahead in the 52nd minute thanks to Rodriguez's second goal of the season.
Connor Roberts' deep cross was directed across the face of the goal by Josh Laurent and it was an easy tap-in for Rodriguez in the week he made his 300th appearance for the club.
The Clarets nearly doubled their advantage moments later, but Jaidon Anthony's stabbed effort was cleared away from danger by Ashley Phillips as the ball edged closer to crossing the line.
Anthony had another good opportunity in the 68th minute, only to loop his shot over the crossbar after being picked out by Laurent at the back post.
Victory was sealed though 10 minutes later as Brownhill, who had come off the bench not long before, fired home from the penalty spot after captain Josh Cullen was clumsily brought down in the area by Tatsuki Seko.
The managers
Stoke's Narcis Pelach:
"In the last 10 minutes (of first half) we were very good and we got a little bit of momentum. But then in the second half, when they score, of course it goes down a little bit because it's more difficult.
"We changed formation again to try to be more aggressive. Of course, in that moment, it's more difficult to press because you're ready for another thing and then you change formation, but we were brave enough to do it.
"And yeah it's a pity because then the second goal, with the penalty, the game is gone and they have quality, they have a lot of talent in their squad and in the changes that they do.
"The talent maybe doesn't increase but it stays the same and it's difficult to win the ball back against these types of players.
"But I'm pleased with the effort, the body language and the attitude of the players. They tried and they gave it all, which is important as well."
Burnley's Scott Parker:
"I'm extremely proud of this team. This team was put together practically in the last day of a transfer window.
"As a coach, and I've been in this position many a time, you're trying to instil some traits and some habits in human beings, as in the 30-man squad we've got, that you know will build a foundation.
"And we've done an extreme amount of work on that. They surprise me every time when I stand on the touchline.
"I've got a group of men here that, during the adversity of what we've faced at certain moments this season, are the first to come in on Monday morning and sit in a meeting room and ask 'what do we need to do to improve and how do we need to get better?'.
"I have every bit of that at this present moment in time and we need to continue. There's still so much for us to do. We still can improve for sure."