In a high-pressure game between two of the PL’s bottom three, a fast start was essential to get on the front foot, and Burnley’s start couldn’t have been much quicker. No more than 15 seconds were on the clock when Jay Rodriguez stooped down to head home Charlie Taylor’s teasing delivery.
In turn, Rodriguez became the first player in history to score inside the opening 15 seconds of two separate PL games having done so for Southampton almost exactly 10 years ago to the day!
Burnley knew all too well that one goal was never likely to be enough to win this game given they’ve lost every PL home game this season in which they scored first, but they put themselves in a prime position to end that run when Dara O’Shea’s delicate lofted ball was finished off by Jacob Bruun Larsen.
Considering the Blades hadn’t scored a first-half league goal prior to today, it was always unlikely they’d find a way back into the game before half-time. Their afternoon went from bad to worse before the break when Oli McBurnie was sent off for two identical elbows on O’Shea a matter of minutes apart.
That left Burnley in a familiar position, as they faced Sheffield United at Turf Moor in the Championship last season defending a 2-0 lead, incidentally also against 10 men.
Armed with the numerical advantage, Burnley controlled the lion's share of possession, but aside from Luca Koleosho’s long-range strike that flew narrowly wide of the post, they didn’t look too threatening.
That was at least until Zeki Amdoubi took matters into his own hands, bursting into the area and firing a low drive into the bottom right corner to net his first Turf Moor goal.
A fourth swiftly followed, and it was another man on target for the first time in East Lancashire as Koleosho fired home at the near post.
The Clarets weren’t finished there though and they added a fifth shortly after, with Josh Brownhill’s strike from the edge of the area arguably the pick of the bunch as it rounded off Burnley’s biggest-ever PL win.
The picture is now very bleak for Sheffield United, in particular boss Paul Heckingbottom, who is no doubt staring down the barrel of the sack.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Sander Berge (Burnley)
