Burnley boosted their slim hopes of Premier League survival with a nervy victory over 10-man Brentford at Turf Moor.
Jacob Bruun Larsen’s early penalty gave the hosts the perfect start after the video assistant referee (VAR) adjudged Sergio Reguilon to have committed a professional foul on Clarets winger Vitinho, resulting in a straight red card for the Tottenham loanee.
Dara O’Shea’s heavy backpass almost gifted Brentford an equaliser, but Arijanet Muric – making his Premier League debut in place of first-choice Clarets goalkeeper James Trafford – produced a fine clearance to stop the ball trickling over the line.
David Datro Fofana was guilty of one of the misses of the season shortly before the interval, somehow scuffing his shot wide after Lorenz Assignon had picked out the young Ivorian.
But Chelsea loanee Fofana made amends midway through the second period, taking Wilson Odobert’s pass in his stride and calmly beating Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken to double Burnley’s advantage.
Wilson Odobert spurned an excellent opportunity to make it 3-0, before Kristoffer Ajer’s late header gave Brentford hope.
The visitors thought they had salvaged an unlikely equaliser deep into added time when Shandon Baptiste’s cross looped over Muric and into the far corner, but the goal was ruled out for a foul by Ivan Toney on the Burnley keeper.
The Clarets’ second home win of the season means they are now eight points adrift of safety with nine matches left to play, while Brentford sit four points above the bottom three.
