Swansea City edged a five-goal thriller at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday, Fernando Llorente powering home his second header of the game to secure a 3-2 win in injury-time.
Andre Gray's brace had looked set to give the Clarets their first away win of the season, but considering Swansea hit the woodwork three times in the first half and that referee Anthony Taylor bizarrely gave the visitors a penalty for Sam Vokes handling the ball, it is hard to argue with the fairness of the result.
Positives
The Clarets were incisive on the attack and made the most of their chances when they managed to get the ball down and play, with Gray looking sharp after resuming his partnership with Vokes.
Sean Dyche's men coped with the majority of the many crosses that were flung into their box but Llorente's aerial power proved to be too much in the end -- the wait for a first away victory goes on.
Negatives
Defensively the Clarets were chaotic at times and far too many crosses were allowed, with Swansea inevitably scoring their late winner from yet another ball into the box.
Dyche made a cautious late double substitution to try to protect what would have been a good point after Martin Olsson's equaliser, but the tactical decision backfired on him when Llorente won it at the death. Perhaps Burnley have to be bolder if they are to finally get a win on the road.
Manager rating out of 10
5 -- Dyche made two outfield changes from last week's 1-1 draw at Hull, bringing back Vokes for the suspended Ashley Barnes, while Jeff Hendrick returned in place of Ashley Westwood after serving his own ban. Tactically, Burnley did not defend wide areas enough and they struggled to provide enough support to the front two all game.
It was understandable when Dyche tried to go on the defensive in the last 10 minutes to secure another away point, but unlike last week his side could not hold on.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)
GK Paul Robinson, 5 -- Deputising for ill captain Tom Heaton, the veteran goalkeeper had little chance with any of the goals but he might be disappointed to have been beaten at his near post by Olsson and his reactions seemed slow throughout.
DF Matt Lowton, 5 -- It was another frustrating showing from Lowton, who gave Swansea too much room in wide areas and wasted many of his own crossing positions.
DF Michael Keane, 5 -- The battle between Keane and Llorente proved to be a mismatch in the air and this was a difficult learning experience for the highly-rated centre-back.
DF Ben Mee, 7 -- The team's star defender on the day, Mee showed off his excellent defensive instincts with a pair of goal-line clearances as he wore the captain's armband in the absence of Heaton.
DF Stephen Ward, 5 -- An early booking for a foul on Luciano Narsingh seemed to affect Ward's game and like Lowton he did not stop enough crosses.
MF George Boyd, 5 -- The game mostly passed Boyd by and one attempted ball to Robbie Brady that missed its target by a good 10 yards and bounced harmlessly out of play summed up his struggles.
MF Joey Barton, 6 -- On what could be his last match of the season depending on the severity of the ruling of his FA gambling hearing this week, Barton failed to make much of an impression.
MF Jeff Hendrick, 5 -- Returning from a three-game ban, the Irish international looked rusty and he gave Leroy Fer far too much space to deliver a superb cross for the opening goal.
MF Robbie Brady, 5 -- Another who made too little impact in the final third, Brady is yet to hit the heights expected of a club-record signing, although this was only his third start.
FW Andre Gray, 8 -- After a slightly dry spell, Gray was back to his best with a well-taken penalty, followed up by a sharp finish to put his side in front.
FW Sam Vokes, 7 -- The Welsh international was extremely fortunate to win a penalty when the ball bounced off his arm in the box, but after being recalled his partnership with Gray was a real strength and they combined well for the second Clarets goal.
Substitutes
MF Scott Arfield, 6 -- The Canadian international did not manage to stamp his authority on the game after replacing Brady.
MF Ashley Westwood, NR -- Perhaps unfortunate to be dropped for Hendrick, Westwood did not adapt to the pace of the match and he could have done better in the build-up to Swansea's winner.
DF James Tarkowski, NR -- Tarkowski was a defensive change but the team could not see the game out.