Burnley’s failings on full display as Bournemouth inflict more home misery

Burnley have five remaining Turf Moor games to avoid Sunderland’s all-time Premier League low of seven home points over an entire campaign

The season-long failings that have all but condemned Vincent Kompany’s side to relegation were again on full display as goals from Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo, surely, guaranteed Premier League survival for Bournemouth.
The goals ended a run of seven league games without a win for Andoni Iraola’s side, who moved 11 points clear of the relegation zone in the process.
Burnley, in contrast, continued a pattern of home form which has seen them collect just five points from 14 games, leaving them with five remaining Turf Moor fixtures to avoid Sunderland’s 19-year-old, all-time Premier League low of seven home points over an entire campaign.
Not for the first time in an increasingly dismal season, Burnley played with plenty of energy and produced moments of real threat.
But their inability to perform even the most rudimentary of defensive tasks – surprising, given the identity of their manager – would again be their undoing on 13 minutes, when they conceded from the first Bournemouth attack of the game.
Having failed to deal with a long kick forward from keeper Neto, the home defence was split by Lewis Cook’s through ball, with Kluivert shrugging aside Dara O’Shea, then checking past the defender before burying an unstoppable shot.
Burnley had lost 18 of their previous 19 Premier League games in which they had conceded first, although they at least showed signs of determination to end that dismal run.
In the dying minutes of the first half, David Datro Fofana bore down on goal before being blocked by Neto, with Adam Smith putting himself in the way of Jacob Bruun Larsen’s follow-up.
And, in injury-time, Larsen’s free-kick, from the edge of the the Bournemouth area, drew a spectacular flying save from Neto who, moments later, watched relieved as Vitinho headed over, unmarked, from six yards out.
Burnley, who at one stage late in the first half had recorded 82 per cent of the possession, pressed after the break but became increasingly susceptible on the counter-attack.
In quick succession, just before the hour, James Trafford was forced to save from Dominic Solanke before Marcus Tavernier hurried a shot wide as he ran onto Semenyo’s pass.
Josh Cullen finally had the ball in the Bournemouth goal after 66 minutes, but his effort was quickly ruled out for a foul by Larsen in the build-up.
And Burnley were again carved open, on 75 minutes, when Semenyo should have done better than side-foot wide from Solanke’s cross, with the same Bournemouth man flashing a shot off target minutes later.
Semenyo, finally, claimed the goal he and Bournemouth deserved two minutes from time, when he chased Cook’s long ball, cut into the Burnley area and scored via a deflection off defender Charlie Taylor.