JACKO SHOWS SEAN AXE WASN’T WACKO
Clarets roar for interim boss
BURNLEY 2 SOUTHAMPTON 0
WHO needs Sean Dyche when Michael Jackson can produce this thriller?
Burnley proved there is life after their most successful manager for decades by turning on the style in their first game at Turf Moor since Dyche’s shock sacking a week ago.
They were transformed under Jackson and they produced the kind of exciting, attacking football rarely seen this season under Dyche.
Connor Roberts, right, the Crynant Cafu as he was nicknamed when he was at Swansea, opened the scoring with a worldie reminiscent of the Brazil legend before Nathan Collins headed home his second in four games.
The home fans did chant Dyche’s name towards the end and he is clearly not forgotten.
But this rousing win has given Burnley fresh hope of climbing above Everton to safety – and they are now just a point behind Frank Lampard’s Blues.
Chairman Alan Pace’s decision to axe Dyche and his entire backroom staff looks less crazy as Burnley followed up their commendable draw at West Ham with this win.
Pace plans to appoint another interim manager for the rest of the season but, with that proving difficult, Jackson is showing he can be trusted. For Southampton, this was a classic end-of-season game where they were not quite at it because they have little left to play for except professional pride. Burnley took full advantage to serve up a treat for their fans. Gone was Dyche’s direct approach and, after Oriol Romeu wastefully headed wide from a free header, they played passing football not usually associated with the Clarets. They pressed the life out of Southampton to the delight of the vociferous home fans. Dwight McNeil is transformed under Jackson after one of Dyche’s final acts was to drop him and he was involved in Burnley’s 12th-minute opener. His drive was parried by Fraser Forster and Josh Brownhill fed the ball to Roberts, who turned inside on to his left foot and curled home an exquisite shot for his first Clarets goal.
The hosts needed a second and it came a minute before half-time when Collins rose above James Ward-Prowse and Lyanco to head home Brownhill’s corner – with VAR John Brooks ruling it did not brush the offside Jack Cork on the way in.
Burnley did have a third strike from Cork ruled out by VAR, though, for offside. BURNLEY (4-4-2): Pope 6; Roberts 7, Tarkowski 7, Collins 7, Taylor 7; McNeil 7 (Lowton 87), Cork 7, Brownhill 8, Cornet 6 (Lennon 66, 6); Rodriguez 7, Weghorst 6 (Vydra 78). Goals: Roberts 12, Collins 44. SOUTHAMPTON (3-4-3): Forster 8; Valery 5, Lyanco 5, Bednarek 5; Walker-Peters 6 (Livramento 83), WardProwse 6, Romeu 5, Perraud 4; S Armstrong 5 (Adams 66, 6), Elyounoussi 5 (Redmond 66, 5), Broja 5.