FRESH AAR Lennon breathes new life into Clarets
BURNLEY lifted the fog that had gripped Turf Moor and turned on the sunshine in front of England boss Gareth Southgate.
There was a danger that the Clarets’ murky start to the season could have developed into a proper pea-souper and threaten their stay in the Premier League.
But a late first-half charge, with two goals in the space of three minutes, helped settle the nerves as Matej Vydra and Aaron Lennon got their first Burnley goals, before Ashley Barnes added a late second-half double.
It was the club’s biggest win in the top flight since 1970, and manager Sean Dyche can at last see the light on a chastening afternoon for Cherries boss Eddie Howe.
Dyche (above) said Burnley “we’re in a fog” following four straight defeats and their exit from the Europa League.
So he understandably welcomed yesterday’s show, saying: “I reminded the players of how far we’ve come. We’ve been written off many times and it was about taking on the challenge.
“I thought we did that. It’s a start. It’s where we want to be, winning games. There’s been a lot of noise surrounding us. We will change the story because that’s what we do.”
Czech striker Vydra, a £10million summer capture from Derby, took advantage of Bournemouth’s failure to deal with a Sam Vokes knockdown.
Ashley Westwood saw two efforts blocked and when the loose ball fell to Vydra he stabbed in from close range on 36 minutes.
Lennon followed suit. The winger nipped in on the blindside after Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s cross to stab in while the Cherries defence seemed preoccupied with Vokes’s aerial presence.
The visitors, comeback kings of the top flight, upped their tempo and looked on for another recovery, going close through David Brooks and Jefferson Lerma. But Barnes ended the contest. When Gudmundsson’s volley came back off the post Barnes reacted the quickest to squeeze it past Asmir Begovic. He did even better moments later, finding the net after more trickery from the impressive Lennon.
Howe said: “I don’t think 4-0 is reflective of the game.
“It’s a frustration. We were naive chasing the goals.
“Last week everyone was waxing lyrical. But I didn’t think we were as good as people said against Leicester.” ■ Burnley scored as many goals in this match as in their previous eight Premier League games against Bournemouth. ■ Bournemouth have kept just one clean sheet in their last 15 PL away games. ■ Ashley Barnes scored twice for the first time, in his 105th Premier League appearance.