The first goalless draw of the season... for £14.95

SLAVEN BILIC demanded football be made ‘affordable’ after fans were charged nearly £15 to watch the first goalless draw of the Premier League season. After another breathless weekend, West Brom and Burnley brought everyone back to earth with the first 0-0 draw in the campaign’s 47th game. Those who forked out £14.95 to watch it on Sky may think twice next time. ‘Football should be not free but affordable,’ said Albion boss Bilic. ‘Football is not polo or golf, it’s the sport for masses, a working class sport and it should be affordable to everybody.’ Both sides had chances to seal their first league wins of the season. Chris Wood hit the bar for Burnley moments after Grady Diangana, Branislav Ivanovic and Matheus Pereira had gone close for West Brom. On his debut, Albion forward Karlan Grant had a first-half header correctly ruled out for offside, while Burnley were without defender Phil Bardsley, who is self-isolating after testing positive for Covid-19. Ivanovic’s display was hugely impressive. The 36-year-old, a Champions League winner with Chelsea in 2012, last played in the English top flight nearly four years ago yet his quality still shines. ‘If we want to stay up then we have to win these types of games,’ added Bilic. Played in by Pereira in the 20th minute, the £15million signing Grant hesitated for a split second and fired over. At the other end, Burnley demanded a penalty when Kevin Long fell under pressure from Darnell Furlong — and replays suggested they had a case. ‘It was a strange game,’ said Dyche. ‘We deserved a penalty but we didn’t take our chances.’

Grant thought that he had put Albion in front in the 37th minute when he headed past Nick Pope, only to be denied by the offside flag. g. If that was a close escape for Burnley, it was nothing compared to West Brom’s triple chance just before the hour mark. After a cleverly-worked corner, Diangana drew a fine save from Pope from a narrow angle, and James Tarkowski denied Ivanovic on the follow-up. From the rebound, Pereira shot was saved. Moments later Ashley Westwood crossed for the unmarked Wood to o head against the bar from six yards, before Ashley Barnes’s header forced Sam Johnstone into o a save that kept the game level.