April 3, (THEWILL)- A dramatic English Premier League clash between Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers saw half of the famous Jimmy McIlroy, Stand evacuated due to a precarious piece of hanging metal. Rayan Aït-Nouri’s header cancelled out a wonderful Jacob Bruun Larsen opener, resulting in a draw as Burnley extended their unbeaten run to four games in the hunt for EPL survival.
Burnley manager, Gary O’Neil admitted that his star man Matheus Cunha has been persistently demanding a starting spot, weeks ahead of his original layoff prognosis. Despite this, O’Neil handed a second consecutive start to Leon Chiwome, who had the opportunity to become the club’s youngest ever Premier League goalscorer at the ground where his potential predecessor Fabio Silva claimed the accolade last.
Chiwome perhaps should have been played through as Nelson Semedo advanced forward, opting instead for Ait-Nouri, whose touch evaded him at the vital moment. With most of the crowd intently watching the evacuation of a section of the Jimmy McIlroy Stand due to reports of loose metal hanging from the roof, those that remained almost missed a moment of individual brilliance.
It was Dara O’Shea’s raking ball from the right which turned out to be inch-perfect for Bruun Larsen to lash home on the volley across a despairing Jose Sa. The half wasn’t over yet, with referee Thomas Bramhall awarding a soft freekick in midfield after Aït-Nouri looked to have overran the ball. He then got his head on the proceeding freekick from Pablo Sarabia, guiding the ball beyond Arijanet Muric.
Bramhall bizarrely allowed Burnley to kick off, before pulling the game back for a VAR check which turned out in vain and saved him some serious embarrassment. Cries of “you’re not fit to referee” rang out at Turf Moor, taunting Bramhall. Having netted in three of Burnley’s four wins so far this season, Bruun Larsen should have wrapped up another crucial three points as he fired Vitinho’s cutback straight at Sa. With relegation rivals Nottingham Forest winning, in the end, it will feel like two points dropped rather than a point gained as a six-point gap opens up to safety.
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