In a bottom-two clash, Burnley emerged victorious against Sheffield United, securing a 4-1 win, a crucial step towards their Premier League survival hopes. Goals from Jacob Bruun Larsen and Lorenz Assignon near the end of the first half were momentarily threatened by a comeback from the Blades, initiated by Gus Hamer in the early stages of the second half. However, Lyle Foster and substitute Johann Berg Gudmundsson were still able to add more goals, thus ending Sheffield’s hopes. Vincent Kompany’s team has now accumulated 10 points from their last seven matches, moving them just three points shy of the 17th place, currently held by Nottingham Forest. The Forest will be facing Everton, another relegation competitor, on Sunday.
Sheffield United had better opportunities in the first half but Burnley’s goalkeeper, Arijanet Muric effectively kept Sheffield’s Oli McBurnie and Ben Brereton Diaz at bay. Bruun Larsen and Assignon’s back-to-back goals just before the break came as a surprise to the hosts. Ivo Grbic, Sheffield’s goalkeeper, was left unprepared by the sudden turn of events.
When the second half started, Sheffield United almost closed the two-goal gap with a James McAtee shot, which was saved by Muric. But it was not until the 52nd minute, when Hamer scored, that the hosts got back in the game. Despite the setback, Burnley’s victory has renewed their hopes of staying in the Premier League.
Muric’s excellent shot-stopping abilities thwarted Brereton Diaz’s attempt to level the score, increasing the home team’s struggle for a comeback. Assignon stormed the right flank, delivering a ground pass to Foster inside the penalty area, who cleanly converted from close range. McBurnie’s shot narrowly missed as the Blades kept up their aggressive attack, but their efforts were blunted in the 71st minute when Gudmundsson, stepping in as substitute for Vitinho, netted an excellent goal. Despite hitting the woodwork later, Gudmundsson played a pivotal role in deciding the game amid a mass exodus of Blades supporters, leading Clarets to their second victory of the year with ease.
Meanwhile at Kenilworth Road, Brentford triumphed over Luton Town 5-1, bringing them perilously close to securing their spot in next season’s Premier League. Yoane Wissa netted his first premier league double for Brentford, with Ethan Pinnock, Keane Lewis-Potter and Kevin Schade also contributing to the scoreline which represented the visitor’s dominance. This left Luton hashing together a late response with a single goal from Luke Berry in an overall disappointing display that might worry manager Rob Edwards.
Despite Thomas Kaminski’s valiant efforts as goalkeeper for the home side, and Bryan Mbeumo’s threat as he dictated Brentford’s play, the visitors might have secured an even larger margin of victory sans an absent injured forward Ivan Toney. Post-match, Brentford moves to 14th position clinching 35 points from 34 matches, sitting at a comfortable 10-point advantage over 18th placed Luton, who they’ve played an equal number of games against, arguably hinting at a near completion of their survival challenge.