Nightmare Muric howler costs Burnley vital win
ARO MURIC will never live it down. Add this one to the list of great goalkeeping howlers, to the worst footballing moments of Gary Sprake, Massimo
Taibi, Peter Enckelman. No exaggeration: the goal Muric conceded at Turf Moor yesterday will still be shown in 50 years’ time.
It came 11 minutes from the end of a match Burnley needed to win to maintain realistic hopes of Premier League survival. And they were winning it, thanks to a piece of opportunism from Josh Brownhill in the 74th minute.
Then came every goalkeeper’s worst nightmare. Sander Berge, under no pressure, played a pass back to Muric. Somehow, it rolled past the goalkeeper’s boot, and travelled on, gently, into the net.
Brighton’s supporters cheered with disbelief. Burnley’s fans howled with anguish. Manager Vincent Kompany, serving a one-match touchline ban, could only watch helpless. It was left to Craig Bellamy, his assistant, to try to find some positive words for his goalkeeper.
‘It’s not his mistake, It’s our mistake,’ Bellamy said. ‘It’s how we play. He’s scored goals for us doing what he does.
‘You might find it an issue but honestly, we don’t. We believe in this way of football. It might be naive. I have a three-year-old girl who still believes in rainbows and unicorns. Maybe that’s with me. But I genuinely believe we’re going to stay up. Maybe I’m the one who believes in rainbows and unicorns.’
It was Muric’s second major error in successive Saturdays. A week earlier, he had botched an attempted clearance against Everton, the ball rebounding off Dominic Calvert-Lewin and in.
Burnley, six points from safety with five matches now to play, cannot afford to be chucking away opportunities like this. But this is the way Burnley play; they want a goalkeeper who is confident with his feet. Such a style comes with its dangers.
‘Aro’s a top goalkeeper,’ Bellamy said. ‘We all make mistakes. It’s how you respond. I’ve got nothing but praise for him, because he’s willing to keep going.’
Burnley’s disappointment wasn’t all Muric’s responsibility; Jacob Bruun Larsen and David Datro Fofana had both failed to take clear first-half chances.
Brighton, after a slow start, improved significantly after half-time, and looked the likelier scorers when they went behind.
Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen attempted to clear under pressure from Carlos Baleba’s loose back pass, and Brownhill charged down the kick to score.
‘Carlos is improving,’ Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said. ‘We cannot forget he is 20 and we have to expect that. If you play a lot of inexperienced players,