Going into the game, I’m sure Boro fans would have bit your hand off for a 1-1 draw away at Turf Moor, somewhere Burnley haven’t lost since September. Even after the first half, where Boro had to hold strong defensively to fight Burnley pressure, a point seemed appealing. But after the match, perhaps reflecting well on the team’s progress over the season, many fans understood the importance of coming away with a point from such an important game, but, still felt like Boro could’ve came away with more.
Match Report
The first 10 minutes of the game were marked by Burnley’s control of the possession, leading to several breaks for Boro on the counter attack, with nothing consequential in the early stages. A quick exchange between Ben Doak and Hayden Hackney, ultimately lead to Dan Barlaser finding the ball with 3 Burnley players in front of him. Since Doak had drawn out Humphreys, Burnley’s LB, Barlaser was able to play a clever ball through to the overlapping Anfernee Dijksteel, who despite being taken down, was able to dink it over a rushing Trafford, making it 1-0 Boro within only 13 minutes.
The 20 minutes saw Burnley piling the pressure on Boro, responding excellently to going one back. Shot after shot, Burnley managed to rack up 7 successive shots without reply from Boro, putting them on the ropes.
Despite mounting pressure, including a moment of brilliance from Sarmiento that nearly saw the ball curl into the top left corner (ultimately hitting the side netting), Burnley’s equalizer felt avoidable. Connor Roberts, finding some space in between the Boro midfield, struck from distance, capitalizing on a lapse in focus. Spotting Dieng off his line, the former Leeds man curled a stunning shot over the keeper and into the top right corner, levelling the score at 1-1 in the 33rd minute.
After finally putting one in the net, Burnley continued their dominance in possession, creating a number of chances, but the Boro defence held strong into half time.
Coming out after the second half, Boro seemed like a different team. It was now their turn to dominate possession, setting up base camp within Burnley’s half. One of the big chances of the game came off a free kick, where Barlaser found Edmundson at the back post with a looping cross. Unfortunately for Boro, Edmundson tried to glance his relatively open header past the keeper, instead of hitting through it, ultimately putting it wide.
With 20 minutes to go, Carrick looked to Latte Lath to provide a different challenge up top. Within a few moments of being on, Azaz played a lofted ball over the top which Latte Lath failed to dink over the keeper. Seemingly, it rolled off the ivorian’s shin, as the ball couldn’t rise over the keeper.
Player Ratings
Seny Dieng-5: A poor game by Seny’s standards, giving away Burnley’s only goal through poor positioning and a lapse in concentration. It begs the question whether Brynn is more suited to be Boro’s first choice, having impressed over the last few games.
Neto Borges-7: A much improved performance from Borges that seen him make plenty of tackles and look somewhat comfortable in the Boro defence for one of the first times this season. Provided little attacking support, but looked much more solid defensively.
George Edmundson-6: Again, it was a very solid defensive performance from Edmundson, getting onto plenty of loose balls and intervening in many of Burnley’s attacks. However, he did fail to put away his header at the back post, which could have saw Boro take away all 3 points from Turf Moor.
Dael Fry-7: A great performance from Fry, stopping many Burnley breaks and holding strong in the middle of the park, proving he deserves his place at the back.
Anfernee Dijksteel-10 (MOTM): Not only did he make the most defensive moves in the whole Boro defence, Dijksteel also provided Boro with a rare goal, playing an integral part in the result. Despite some arguing Dijksteel has had a ‘renaissance’, I would argue that Dijksteel has shown glimpses of real quality each time he’s featured this season.
Dan Barlaser-8: Barlaser yet again impressed, after being picked over Jonny Howson, making incisive through balls, such as the clever ball he played through to Dijksteel for the goal.
Hayden Hackney-7: Despite still contributing with quick exchanges with Doak, and defensive challenges in stopping counter attacks, I think Hackney will be slightly disappointed he didn’t have his usual influence on a game for Boro.
Finn Azaz-7: Much like Hackney, Azaz struggled to exert his usual influence for much of the game, likely due to the disciplined and rigid Burnley defense. Despite this, he did play a great disguised ball over the top to Latte Lath in the later stages of the game, but Boro’s number 9 failed to capitalise on it.
Burgzorg-7: Looked dangerous at times on Boro breaks, again, switching well with Tommy Conway. That said, Burgzorg struggled to have as an influence in the latter stages of the game, making way for Riley McGree.
Tommy Conway-6: While Conway managed the odd chance, he faltered against the Burnley defence, having few touches in the opposition box.
Ben Doak-8: Being Boro’s outlet yet again for much of the game, Doak battled with Humphreys on the left flank, winning on several occasions. Doak was very close to pulling off an extraordinary move, as he cut in from the right hand side, beating Burnley defenders but ultimately, placing his shot a metre or so to the left of Trafford’s goal.
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