Burnley net late double to put Watford on the brink of relegation
Jack Cork and Josh Brownhill scored twice in a dramatic final 10 minutes at Vicarage Road to give Burnley a crucial 2-1 victory and all but confirm Watford’s relegation from the Premier League.
Norwich, who lost 2-0 at Aston Villa, were relegated as a result of the Clarets’ late turnaround while Watford are now 12 points adrift of safety with four games to play.
The hosts led from the eighth minute after James Tarkowski inadvertently turned the ball into his own net as Juraj Kucka’s shot came back off the crossbar.
But Burnley, with three wins in four unbeaten matches under caretaker boss Mike Jackson, rallied in the second half before finally levelling through Cork’s diving header in the 82nd minute.
And four minutes later they grabbed the winner when Brownhill passed the ball into the net from the edge of the area to give their survival hopes another massive boost.
How Burnley stung the Hornets
Watford had caught Burnley cold in the Vicarage Road sunshine. Kucka saw his shot from inside the box crash against the underside of the crossbar before it bounced back off the helpless Tarkowski and into the net.
Watford’s Kiko Femenia also hit a post direct from an inswinging corner as Burnley’s dreadful start continued, but the visitors thought they had a penalty when Dwight McNeil was tripped by Moussa Sissoko. The VAR intervened, though, ruling the midfielder was fouled less than a yard outside the box.
Burnley could only improve in the second half and within 60 seconds Ben Foster was pushing away a shot from Aaron Lennon. Despite their improved start, the Clarets had Nick Pope to thank for denying Kucka with a brilliant flying save.
Wout Weghorst was subbed after an hour and was still shaking his head at the decision five minutes later when he was sat on the bench. Jackson’s decision was almost justified when Weghorst’s replacement Ashley Barnes saw his close-range header from a corner superbly pushed onto the crossbar by Foster and then hooked clear a yard from the goalline.
Burnley dominated possession in the second half with their reward finally coming in the closing stages. Charlie Taylor delivered a superb cross from the left which was thumped in by Cork’s diving header at the back post.
The visitors could sense a winner which arrived just four minutes later courtesy of Brownhill.
What’s next?
Watford travel to Crystal Palace next weekend as their bid for Premier League safety continues. The Hornets then have home matches against Everton and Leicester before going to Chelsea on the final day of the season.
Burnley will look to maintain their position just above the relegation zone against Aston Villa next Wednesday. The Clarets travel to Tottenham and Aston Villa later in May before hosting Newcastle for their final game of the campaign.