The highly anticipated East Lancashire derby ended in disaster for Rovers as Burnley departed Ewood Park with their name in the 3rd round draw for the Carabao Cup.
Despite the build-up to the game which left both sets of supporters excited, the Rovers faithful were unable to see their team beat their bitter rivals as Burnley walked out comfortable 2-0 winners, which ultimately extended Burnley’s derby record to 7 games unbeaten over the space of 7 years, with Rovers’ last victory coming in 2010 in the Premier League.
Tony Mowbray picked a rotated squad, which looked different to the one which had beaten Bradford City 4 days prior. Ben Gladwin, Harry Chapman, Marcus Antonsson, Peter Whittingham and Liam Feeney all came into the starting line-up in place of Craig Conway, Dominic Samuel, Corry Evans and Elliott Bennett, all of whom dropped to the bench. Bradley Dack also missed the game due to the tight hamstring that he picked up at Valley Parade.
The encounter started brightly for Rovers as they benefitted from some early possession and settled some nerves heading into the game, which turned out to be a much harder test than anything the side had faced this season. Rovers’ first attempt was an effort following Liam Feeney’s free kick inside 14 minutes. The ball was cleared by Burnley, only as far as their former loanee Peter Whittingham, whose volley was deflected wide of the mark.
The power then shifted towards the visitors who created their first chance on goal on the 23rd minute. Scott Arfield threaded the ball into Ashley Barnes who was lurking on the edge of the Rovers penalty area. The Englishman then spun and released a ferocious shot towards Rovers’ goal, which was well saved by Rovers’ number one, David Raya. Burnley’s hold on the game increased as the minutes ticked over and their dominance paid off 4 minutes later when they opened the scoring through their new signing Jack Cork.
Ashley Barnes – who was a thorn in Rovers’ side all evening – played in Robbie Brady who took two touches of the ball, one to steady himself and another to cross the ball in. His pinpoint delivery completely eliminated Derrick Williams, who attempted to block the cross, from the game. The ball landed directly onto the head of Jack Cork who headed the ball over the on-rushing David Raya to put Burnley 1-0 to the good.
The goal then sparked scenes of disgust around Ewood Park when two Blackburn fans invaded the field and physically attacked two Burnley players; Ashley Westwood and James Tarkowski were the players in question. Simultaneously, a Burnley fan let off a flare in the midst of the goal celebrations, which left a nine-year old boy with minor burns.
However, the toxic atmosphere was beginning to reflect the Rovers performance as Burnley stepped up a gear and took complete control of the game. Their next effort, once again came courtesy of Robbie Brady, who launched a free kick into the box, which caused some panic within Rovers’ defensive ranks. The ball eventually dropped to Ashley Barnes once again; however his shot deflected off of Richie Smallwood and went out for a Burnley corner.
The gap between the two sides in terms of quality was beginning to look clearer and clearer in the time that it took half-time to approach. Burnley added to their efforts on goal with a sublime counter attack. Barnes was played through in behind Charlie Mulgrew following a Rovers free kick on halfway that broke down. The former Brighton man had new £18m signing Chris Wood in support – who was making his debut after coming on for former Rover Jon Walters – Barnes played through Wood who beat Elliott Ward for pace, however his shot on goal was well saved by David Raya.
With Rovers adding nothing to the game in terms of an attacking threat, Burnley were able to take advantage of Rovers’ defensive frailties and double their lead in the 4th minute of added time at the end of the first half. Robbie Brady found himself just inside Rovers’ penalty area and he charged towards goal, beating both Ben Gladwin and Charlie Mulgrew. The Republic of Ireland international then had the ability to squeeze the ball past David Raya at a very acute angle to put Burnley two goals ahead, which effectively killed the tie from a Rovers perspective.
Once the second half was underway, the game effectively turned into a damp squib with Rovers not being able to craft a single shot on goal throughout the whole game. Concurrently, Burnley were also satisfied with their first half achievements, which allowed them to put the brakes on. There were only two notable moments throughout the second half, with the sides sharing one each.
Rovers thought they had grabbed themselves a much needed goal on the 81st minute mark. Paul Caddis crossed the ball in from the right hand side – the exact same position which Burnley created their opener from. This led to Nick Pope, the keeper, coming out to claim it. He however was put off by an onrushing Marcus Antonsson, causing the keeper to drop the ball. Craig Conway, who replaced Liam Feeney at half-time, poked the ball home via the leg of Dominic Samuel. The forward however was stood in an offside position, which meant that the goal was ruled out.
Burnley had the final chance of the game through Chris Wood. Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson’s free-kick was floated towards Rovers’ back post in which Ashley Barnes headed onto Chris Wood, who quickly turned and had a snapshot at goal, which was smartly saved by David Raya.
The defeat saw Rovers crash out of the Carabao Cup following their impressive first round victory away at Coventry City. However, despite the loss to Burnley and the poor performance, many fans would see the situation as an aid towards their league campaign as they would be able to solely focus on League One and the upcoming match at home to MK Dons, without the distraction of the cup.
