DYCHE FEARS INJURY WOES COULD SCUPPER EURO BID

JOHN EGAN rescued a point for Sheffield United with his first Premier League goal against a patched-up Burnley at Turf Moor.

The Blades dominated but Burnley defender James Tarkowski broke the deadlock in the first half before Sheffield United centre-back Egan found the net with 10 minutes left.

There was frustration for Sean Dyche after his side surrendered a hard-fought lead but of greater concern is a mounting injury list.

Tarkowski wore the captain’s armband yesterday Ben Mee after

BURNLEY 1 SHEFF UTD 1

missed his first top-flight match after a run of 70 Premier League games stretching back to May 2018 with a thigh problem

He could be out for the remainder of the season, as will midfielder Jack Cork, who is facing ankle surgery.

Back-up left-back Erik Pieters played left wing while Dwight McNeil played on the opposite flank to his favoured left.

Burnley took the lead after McNeil fired in a freekick from the left, Jay Rodriguez glanced a header towards the back post and

Tarkowski stretched to poke the ball home.

Payback came with Egan, right, netting a carbon copy of Tarkowski’s goal, scoring after Billy Sharp’s nodded glance from Ben Osborn’s cross.

BURNLEY (4-4-2): Pope 6; Bardsley 6, Tarkowski 7, Long

6, Taylor 6; McNeil 6, Brownhill 5, Westwood 5, Pieters 6 (Gudmundsson 90); Vydra 6 (Wood 69, 4), Rodriguez 7.

Goal: Tarkowski 43.

SHEFF UNITED (3-5-2): Henderson 6; Robinson 4 (O’Connell 54, 6), Egan 7, Basham 4 (Rodwell 75); Baldock 5, Berge 6, Norwood 5 (Sharp 54, 6), Osborn 8, Stevens 6; McGoldrick 5, McBurnie 7 (Mousset 71), Goal: Egan 80.

SEAN DYCHE believes Burnley’s worsening injury crisis could ruin hopes of a late push for Europe. The Clarets boss confirmed skipper Ben Mee and midfielder Jack Cork look set to miss the remainder of the season.

With several other first-team regulars missing the run-in Dyche, right, hinted that Burnley’s hopes of bagging the final Europa League spot are receding. “Europe was never the aim of the season. The aim was to stay in the Premier League,” he said. “But you want to get as high up the league as you can. It is a badge of honour for a club like ours or Sheffield United.

“Even Wolves, they had a really tough start and pulled themselves through it. You want that badge of honour.” Blades boss Chris Wilder was delighted with the point after John Egan equalised with 10 minutes remaining.

But he said the Cork-born defender should be scoring more.

“That should have been his 10th goal of the season, not his first,” said Wilder.