Stoke City 0-1 Burnley: Josh Cullen Strike Earns Leaders A 5th Consecutive Win

30 December 2022


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ByGed Scott
BBC Sport at the bet365 Stadium


Vincent Kompany's Burnley made it five successive league wins as they scraped to a narrow victory at Alex Neil's intense Stoke to climb up 3 points clear at the top of the Championship again.


Josh Cullen's scrappy close-range strike on 60 minutes - the summer signing from Anderlecht's first goal for the club - showed the difference between 2 well-matched sides.


The in-form Clarets were offered among their toughest tests of the season before restoring their three-point cushion over second-placed Sheffield United, who had won at Blackpool 24 hr earlier.


But Kompany's Clarets and the Blades have actually broken away from the chasing pack.


Burnley have now opened up a 14-point space on third-placed Blackburn Rovers, who are 11 points adrift of that second automated promotion location, while the remainder of the congested Championship leading 10 are separated by just 3 points.


Friday's Championship action, as it occurred


Out-of-form Stoke, now simply 5 points clear of danger, looked like they had Burnley particularly rattled early on.


Confusion in between Ian Maatsen and goalkeeper Arijanet Muric as Tyrese Campbell offered chase to what seemed fruitless pursuit of a confident long the Stoke striker to round the keeper and get to the byline broad out.


But, when he squared over to what need to have been a practically empty net, no one had made the supporting run.


Campbell then took a crack at obstructed after a manipulated clearance from Muric.


Burnley started to take more control and may have had a penalty claim when Manuel Benson's encounter the Stoke penalty area ended when he was apparently lowered by Morgan Fox.


Referee Keith Stroud waved the visitors' claims away, just as he provided for two Stoke penalty shouts in the 2nd half.


There was a double escape for Burnley when Morgan Fox took a crack at obstructed at close quarters by keeper Muric in a scramble.


But the Clarets had a bit extra waiting on the bench in the type of Morocco's Anass Zaroury and leading scorer Jay Rodriguez - and within 8 minutes of them coming on Burnley struck.


Harry Clarke had a chance on the goal line to clear Benson's deflected shot however it rebounded withdraw keeper Jack Bonham a few feet off the floor and Cullen flew in to take off and prod the ball over the line.


Who's next?


Having completed their last video games of 2022, both sides are back in action on Monday on the New Year's Day bank vacation.


Stoke are at home again against supervisor Neil's former side Preston, while Burnley go to Swansea.


Stoke City manager Alex Neil informed BBC Radio Stoke:


"It was a truly tight, cagey match. We did a lot of things well. We were disciplined and arranged. And I don't believe we was worthy of to lose.


"The objective we yielded was aggravating, to state the least. It wasn't produced by them. It was offered away by us.


"I feel for the gamers since they worked so tough against the finest group in the league."


Burnley employer Vincent Kompany informed BBC Radio Lancashire:


"That was a big win. Maybe our greatest win of the season - if you don't take into consideration the derby. Winning a night video game at Stoke is big.


"It was scrappy but if you do it that method it gives you self-confidence for the next time. It offers you a factor to believe.


"Credit to Stoke but, unlike that day versus Sheffield United, we didn't permit the opposition to put us under pressure a lot."


Burnley