Burnley held by determined Middlesbrough
Burnley 1 - 1 Middlesbrough
Burnley missed the opportunity to go top of the Championship after a lively 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough on a blustery evening at Turf Moor.
Anfernee Dijksteel opened the scoring for Boro with their first shot of the game after just 13 minutes. Despite falling as he struck, he deftly chipped over Clarets goalkeeper James Trafford from 12 yards out, securing his first goal of the season.
Connor Roberts levelled for Burnley eight minutes before half-time with a looping long-range strike that seemed aided by the swirling winds of Storm Darragh, catching Boro’s keeper Seny Dieng off his line.
The second half was packed with chances for both sides but ended all square. Burnley remain in second place, one point behind leaders Sheffield United, while Middlesbrough stay fifth.
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Burnley began brightly, dominating possession early on but failing to create clear opportunities. Middlesbrough capitalised when Dan Barlaser threaded a precise pass to Dijksteel, who kept his composure to lift the ball over the advancing Trafford.
The Clarets responded well, with Jeremy Sarmiento forcing Dieng into a sharp save at his near post and Jaidon Anthony testing the defence with a free-kick from the edge of the box. However, Boro nearly doubled their lead when Liverpool loanee Ben Doak danced through the defence and fired narrowly wide of the far post.
Burnley’s persistence paid off in the 37th minute as Roberts curled a left-footed shot from 25 yards, the wind seemingly playing a role as it sailed over Dieng to equalise.
Sheffield Wednesday 0 - 2 Burnley
Middlesbrough came out stronger after the break, creating several early chances. George Edmondson missed a free header from close range, while Tommy Conway and Delano Burgzorg both saw tame efforts comfortably saved by Trafford. Emmanuel Latte Lath also found himself one-on-one with the Burnley keeper but was denied as Trafford stood firm.
Burnley rallied late on, with Anthony curling a shot just wide and Roberts struggling to connect cleanly with a tricky back-post opportunity from a corner. Despite their late pressure, Scott Parker’s side had to settle for a point, bringing their four-match winning streak to an end.
Burnley remain unbeaten at home, but their grip on the automatic promotion places has slipped slightly after Leeds United secured a win against Derby County.
Middlesbrough prove they deserve to be up there
Despite being inconsistent at times, Boro have shown some fantastic attacking quality at times but this was a very different type of performance. They battled well against a side with Premier League experience and deserved their point.
Mikey was in the away end and was happy with his side's display. He said: "That was a good draw but you could see the players were a bit disappointed that they hadn't won the game. You can see they're striving for more and that's exactly what you want to see as a fan."
This Burnley fan can see the positives despite dropping two points
Peter Grainger is a Burnley fan. He told us: "We were well worth three points. The weather conditions significantly affected both teams' performance. The impact could be seen in the ball's flight in addition to the strong winds and rain. It was a challenging atmosphere for all the players that were involved. A classic Championship encounter I'd say."
