Burnley 1-0 Wolves: Player ratings as Clarets move out of relegation zone
Burnley moved out of the relegation zone on Sunday after a second-half goal from Matej Vydra gave them a 1-0 win over European hopefuls Wolves.
After a nervy start the Clarets turned on the style after the break and deservedly took the lead through Vydra, holding on to climb to 17th in the Premier League table at the expense of Everton – who take on Liverpool later today and have two games in hand.
The defeat also dents Wolves' Europa League ambitions. They trail sixth-placed Manchester United by five points with just five games left to play.
Two quickfire errors from Nathan Collins and Connor Roberts gifted Wolves the first chance of the game with Raul Jimenez's shot failing to trouble Nick Pope.
It did not take long for Burnley to manufacture their own opening, with Dwight McNeil weaving his way into the box before firing over the bar, extending his scoreless streak this season.
Wolves' wing-backs were a source of irritation for the hosts during the first half, and in the 20th minute Jonny cut in from the left onto his stronger foot and curled a shot on goal which Pope was equal to.
Just before the break McNeil forced Jose Sa into action, shifting the ball onto his left side and bending one just within the Portuguese's reach.
A few minutes after half time Burnley had the ball in the back of the net after Vydra's shot was initially saved by Sa before bouncing in off Conor Coady. Fortunately for the Wolves captain, his blushes were spared by the offside flag.
Nelson Semedo then went close to opening the scoring, overlapping into the box and seeing his fierce shot acrobatically batted away from the top corner by Pope.
The game's first goal finally came just after the hour mark. Wout Weghorst was the creator, recovering from a poor first touch to roll the ball into the path of Vydra who finished cleverly to blow the roof off of Turf Moor.
As you might expect, Burnley attempted to keep things tight for the remainder of the second half, retreating into two compact banks of four and seeking to frustrate their visitors.
For the most part, they succeeded in doing exactly that and they even threatened on the counter at times with Aaron Lennon and Weghorst both failing to put the finishing touches on free-flowing moves.
The hosts even had the ball in the back of the net again through Ashley Barnes, only for the substitute to have his strike rightly chalked off as he kicked the ball out of Sa's grasp.
Wolves, meanwhile, offered very little to trouble Mike Jackson's side before the full-time whistle was blown.
Here are your player ratings...
1. Burnley player ratings (4-4-2)
Nick Pope (GK) - 7/10 - Made a really good save from Semedo in the second half. Generally very solid.
Connor Roberts (RB) - 7/10 - Nearly punished for a heinous error early on. Impressed going forward and made an important clearance on the stroke of half time.
Nathan Collins (CB) - 7/10 - Shook off an early error to put in a solid performance defensively.
James Tarkowski (CB) - 7/10 - Great in the air and did not offer Wolves any joy in behind.
Charlie Taylor (LB) - 7/10 - Dealt with the threat of Semedo and Hwang fairly easily. An underrated defender. Booked.
Dwight McNeil (RM) - 7/10 - Was lively down when cutting in from the right but did not always make the most of his chances.
Josh Brownhill (CM) - 7/10 - Another promising display in midfield. He showed great energy and was tidy in possession. Was bypassed a bit too easily off the ball.
Jack Cork (CM) - 7/10 - Nothing flashy but no major errors. An important cog in the Burnley machine right now.
Jay Rodriguez (LM) - 6/10 - With Maxwel Cornet out injured, Rodriguez interchanged with Vydra down the left. Not particularly influential and taken off in the second half.
Wout Weghorst (ST) - 7/10 - A real presence up front, though his finishing left a lot to be desired. Set up Vydra for the goal.
Matej Vydra (ST) - 7/10 - Drafted into the side following Cornet's injury and emerged as the hero. It was a great finish too.
SUB: Ashley Barnes (ST) - 6/10 - Kept his discipline but did not do much in the final third.
SUB: Aaron Lennon (LM) - 5/10 - Failed to make the most of a Burnley counter.
SUB: Kevin Long (CB) - N/A
2. Wolves player ratings (3-4-2-1)
Jose Sa (GK) - 6/10 - Saved well when called upon and little he could do about the goal.
Willy Boly (CB) - 5/10 - Not always convincing defensively but drove forward into midfield impressively. Could have done better for the goal.
Conor Coady (CB) - 6/10 - Distributed fairly well from the heart of defence. If we're being critical, he might have got across to Vydra quicker for the goal.
Romain Saiss (CB) - 5/10 - Pumped the ball forward aimlessly at times, but a level of rustiness was always to be expected after having a while out.
Nelson Semedo (RM) - 6/10 - Not troubled out of possession and pushed high to help with his side's build-up play.
Leander Dendoncker (CM) - 5/10 - Beaten a little too easily by Burnley's attacking contingent at times.
Joao Moutinho (CM) - 6/10 - Caught the eye with a few of his trademark crossfield passes.
Jonny (LM) - 7/10 - Found a lot of space down the left-hand side and often made the most of it. Some excellent defensive covering too.
Fabio Silva (RF) - 3/10 - Wasteful with his rare chances. Some of his dribbling was fairly impressive.
Hwang Hee-chan (LF) - 6/10 - Moments of creativity but he sometimes dropped too deep to collect the ball.
Raul Jimenez (ST) - 4/10 - Underwhelming. He skirted around on the edges of proceedings.
SUB: Pedro Neto (RF) - 6/10 - A handful but not decisive in the final third.
SUB: Francisco Trincao (ST) - N/A