Tark has Clarets singing
ENGLAND defender James Tarkowski has forged a career stopping goals, and now he’s scoring them.
Tarkowski’s winner yesterday made him Burnley’s joint top league goal-scorer.
That’s three alongside Sam Vokes and priceless all the same as the Clarets climbed out of the bottom spots much to everyone’s relief at Turf Moor.
It may have been a day more suited to the Seagulls with a wintry downpour dousing the sodden pitch, but Sean Dyche’s battlers could finally ride the crest of a wave after losing their last three games on home soil.
Dyche (right) breathed a huge sigh of relief and heartily applauded his players for digging in and grounding out a moraleboosting result.
He said: “It’s been a tough early period of the season but we’re kind of getting back to where we should be. We have to play better than we did today but there’s relief because we’ve been on a tough run.
“There was that bit of nervousness. You have got to find a way to win and we know we can do better.”
Brighton boss Chris Hughton had been unbeaten in all six of his previous league games against Burnley as a manager and was left to curse just one shot on target all day from his lacklustre side.
He said: “I thought we were the better team but we conceded a scrappy goal. I’m disappointed. But we didn’t do enough in the first half to really force that goal.”
Hughton can say that again. Burnley keeper Joe Hart, on his 400th Premier League appearance, didn’t have a save to make in a listless opening 45 minutes.
And we had to wait until the half hour before Brighton’s goal was threatened when Johann Gudmundsson’s well-flighted ball found Robbie Brady who volleyed wide.
Then Chris Wood almost squeezed in the opener but couldn’t beat keeper Mat Ryan at the near post.
Brady had another go in the 35th minute but Ryan was alert to save again.
Then Ashley Westwood’s careless pass put Burnley in danger but Anthony Knockaert wasted the gift with a blaze over.
Five minutes before the break, Burnley broke the deadlock when Brighton failed to clear their lines and Jack Cork’s drive was deflected in by Tarkowski.
Burnley looked to press on at the restart but in the 59th minute suffered a scare when skipper Ben Mee sliced the ball into Hart’s arms.
But order was restored when Tarkowski almost claimed a second when was inches away with a glancing header from a corner.
There should have been a late equaliser for
Brighton when sub Glenn Murray delivered the perfect cross for fellow sub Jurgen Locadia but he put a header over the top with the goal at his mercy.