Burnley 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Matej Vydra scores to boost Premier League survival bid

Burnley's recent renaissance continued as Matej Vydra clinched a hard-fought win against Wolves at Turf Moor which piled the pressure on Everton in the fight for Premier League survival.

In a match of few chances, Vydra swept in from close range after being picked out by Wout Weghorst's low cross.

Wolves had earlier forced saves from Nick Pope either side of half-time, but mustered little in way of a response.

Burnley have now won seven points from three games since sacking Sean Dyche.

"It was full of everything that Burnley is about. The character of the group and the fans is key: that togetherness," said interim manager Mike Jackson, who says he has not been told how long he will be in charge.

"Managers search around for team spirit, we've got that and we need to bottle and harness it."

Beating Wolves moved the Clarets out of the relegation zone and above Everton, although the Toffees could leapfrog them if they beat Liverpool in the Merseyside derby later on Sunday.

Wolves remain eighth as they aim for European qualification but missed the chance to close the gap on seventh-placed West Ham.

Vydra's surprise start pays dividends for Burnley

Burnley's decision to sack the long-serving Dyche was met with scepticism and shock, both from the Clarets fans who adored him and those outside the club who admired his ability to keep the club competitive in the Premier League on a small budget.

Clarets owner Alan Pace was questioned over the benefit and timing of sacking Dyche, but it could prove to be justified after Jackson has halted what seemed to be an irreversible slide towards the Championship.

Among joyous scenes after the final whistle, with the home fans chanting 'We are staying up!', Pace allowed himself a smile of satisfaction in the stands.

Jackson hugged injured Clarets skipper Ben Mee, who is part of the new-look coaching team, on the touchline before the Burnley players were roared off the pitch to a standing ovation.

Matchwinner Vydra was the focal point of the celebrations - but knew he might not have started had Maxwel Cornet not failed a late fitness test.

"I don't think I would have started but hopefully I have done everything right today," said Vydra, whose only other Premier League goal this season rescued a draw at Chelsea.

"It was an important goal and this is more important than the first one. It doesn't matter who scores - we just have to be one goal ahead of the opposite team and just get the three points."

The Clarets took four points from their first two matches under Jackson and knew another against Wolves would substantially boost their bid to stay in the Premier League for a seventh successive season.

While they were second best to Wolves in a first half lacking attacking quality, Burnley hung in, imposed themselves on the game and took their chance when it arrived in the second half.

"No question we can stay up," added Vydra. "We are fighting for that and we showed we will stick together. We only have one target and that is staying up."

Wolves leave Lage frustrated again

With Wolves remaining in the hunt for European qualification, boss Bruno Lage warned his side they could not afford to "miss more chances" going into the match at Turf Moor.

Even without the likes of Ruben Neves and Daniel Podence, the visitors looked the more confident and creative in a tight first half.

Intricate play in the Burnley third saw left wing-back Jonny force a flying save from Clarets keeper Pope, while a low cross by Fabio Silva was hacked clear by Connor Roberts with Raul Jimenez lurking.

After the break, England international Pope once again illustrated his importance to Burnley with another acrobatic stop to deny Nelson Semedo.

Other than that, it was a lifeless performance from Wolves in the second half as they failed to take advantage of West Ham's defeat by Chelsea.

Lage has watched his team lose six of the past nine matches and his frustration was clear afterwards.

"I have seen these games too many times from my team this season," said the Portuguese boss.

"I think we were the better team and controlled the game.

"We didn't score a goal and one mistake and they score. The frustration is that when you look at the table we should be doing better.

"We should be killing games with the first goal."

Player of the match

WeghorstWout Weghorst

Burnley

Squad number9Player nameWeghorst

Squad number27Player nameVydra

Squad number10Player nameBarnes

Squad number17Player nameLennon

Squad number28Player nameLong

Squad number22Player nameCollins

Squad number1Player namePope

Squad number5Player nameTarkowski

Squad number4Player nameCork

Squad number11Player nameMcNeil

Squad number14Player nameRoberts

Squad number8Player nameBrownhill

Squad number19Player nameRodriguez

Squad number3Player nameTaylor

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Squad number1Player nameJosé Sá

Squad number16Player nameCoady

Squad number28Player nameJoão Moutinho

Squad number19Player nameJonny

Squad number17Player nameFábio Silva

Squad number9Player nameJiménez

Squad number15Player nameBoly

Squad number22Player nameNélson Semedo

Squad number27Player nameSaïss

Squad number32Player nameDendoncker

Squad number26Player nameHwang Hee-Chan

Squad number7Player namePedro Neto

Squad number11Player nameTrincão

Line-ups

Burnley

Formation 4-4-2

1Pope

14Roberts22Collins5Tarkowski3Taylor

11McNeil4Cork8Brownhill19Rodriguez

9Weghorst27Vydra

Substitutes

Wolves

Formation 3-4-2-1

1Malheiro de Sá

15Boly16Coady27Saïss

22Nélson Semedo32Dendoncker28João Moutinho19Castro Otto

9Jiménez26Hwang Hee-Chan

17Fábio Silva

Substitutes

Live Text

Match ends, Burnley 1, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0.

Second Half ends, Burnley 1, Wolverhampton Wanderers 0.

Pedro Neto (Wolverhampton Wanderers) is shown the yellow card.

Ashley Barnes (Burnley) is shown the yellow card.

Attempt saved. James Tarkowski (Burnley) left footed shot from more than 35 yards is saved in the top centre of the goal.

Attempt saved. Hwang Hee-Chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Raúl Jiménez with a headed pass.

Attempt blocked. Trincão (Wolverhampton Wanderers) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Nélson Semedo.

José Sá (Wolverhampton Wanderers) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

Foul by Ashley Barnes (Burnley).

Attempt saved. Wout Weghorst (Burnley) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the right is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Aaron Lennon.

Attempt blocked. Wout Weghorst (Burnley) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Josh Brownhill with a cross.

Corner, Burnley. Conceded by Nélson Semedo.

Attempt blocked. Aaron Lennon (Burnley) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Wout Weghorst.

Offside, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Nélson Semedo tries a through ball, but Willy Boly is caught offside.

Corner, Wolverhampton Wanderers. Conceded by Connor Roberts.

Substitution, Burnley. Kevin Long replaces Dwight McNeil.

Foul by Hwang Hee-Chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

Connor Roberts (Burnley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.

VAR Decision: No card change James Tarkowski (Burnley).

Offside, Burnley. Wout Weghorst tries a through ball, but Ashley Barnes is caught offside.

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