Match ends, Burnley 2, Leicester City 1.
BurnleyBurnley2LeicesterLeicester City1
Burnley manager Sean Dyche is refusing to get carried away with the prospect of featuring in Europe next season despite seeing his side take a significant step towards qualifying for the Europa League with victory over Leicester City.
Chris Wood scored against his former club while Kevin Long headed a second as the Clarets made it a five straight league wins.
Dyche's side are seventh in the Premier League, which will be enough to qualify for the Europa League unless Southampton win the FA Cup.
"Our story is still about getting as many points as we can get," said Dyche.
On potentially qualifying for the Europa League, he added: "In five and a half years there has been a lot of work done here. We have had some tough times and some very good times.
"Who knows what it will bring but we will just wait and see."
- What happened in the Premier League on Saturday?
- Reaction from Turf Moor and the rest of Saturday's Premier League games
Leicester wasted several chances before Jamie Vardy's powerful finish reduced the deficit, but Burnley hung on to open up a nine point lead on their eighth-placed opponents with five games to play.
Foxes boss Claude Puel said afterwards that his side's chances of qualifying for the Europa League were all but over.
"I think so, yes," said the Frenchman.
"Of course there are games remaining but they [Burnley] now have a lot of chances."
Europe beckons for Burnley after 51-year absence
The Clarets are well placed to play in Europe for the first time since the 1966-67 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which later became the Uefa Cup.
Dyche and his players have won an army of admirers for an extraordinary season in which Burnley are on course to finish in the top seven on a reported wage bill of just £37m.
This is the first time the Lancashire club have won five consecutive matches in the top flight since November 1968 and the latest success typified their season.
All the key ingredients were there - hard work, grit, determination - as Leicester threw everything at them in the second half.
Wood reached double figures for league goals this season after being played in by Ashley Barnes, before an unmarked Long pounced from a corner for his first Premier League goal for the club.
England manager Gareth Southgate witnessed Burnley's latest win, and will have been impressed with goalkeeper Nick Pope.
He played his part in his side's 14th league victory of the season by denying Riyad Mahrez and, before he scored, Vardy.
Dyche was singled out for particular praise by Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer for guiding Burnley through their unbeaten run.
"Once they score one or two goals, they're difficult to peg back because they don't concede many," Shearer said.
"Burnley are either going to finish sixth or seventh. They went from December to February without a Premier League win, Sean Dyche has to be one of the, if not the, manager of the season."
Wasteful Foxes pay the price
Vardy scored for the fourth successive league game to take his top-flight tally this season to 17, but he was also responsible, along with others, for some poor misses.
At the end of the first half, and with Burnley 2-0 up, the England striker tamely headed wide after Harry Maguire's pin-point cross.
Mahrez, who clipped the post with a free-kick, also should have scored on a disappointing day at both ends for the Foxes, who gave a first Premier League start to 20-year-old midfielder Hamza Choudhury.
Vardy's goal, after substitute Kelechi Iheanacho's clever pass, was little consolation for manager Claude Puel, who lost goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to injury in the closing stages.
"He took a heavy knock and we will have to see whether he can be fit for our next game," added Puel.
The Frenchman took over in October when the team was 14th in the table.
Although Leicester are on course for a top-half finish, Puel has his work cut out to improve Leicester in the summer.
Explainer - how seventh place gets into Europe
- The fifth-placed team in the Premier League will enter the Europa League at the group stage, as will the FA Cup winners.
- Because Manchester City have already guaranteed their Champions League place, their Europa League place as EFL Cup winners reverts to the league, so the sixth-placed team will also enter the Europa League.
- Realistically, unless Southampton win the FA Cup, the seventh-placed team will also qualify for the Europa League (as the other three semi-finalists - Manchester United, Chelsea and Spurs - look almost certain to finish in the top six).
- FA Cup runners-up are no longer eligible to enter Europe by virtue of being losing finalists.
- If Arsenal win the Europa League and finish outside the top four, they will qualify for the Champions League, and only two English sides will enter the Europa League as no more than seven clubs from each country can compete in Europe.
The run-in - who plays who?
| Burnley | Leicester |
|---|---|
| v Chelsea (h) 19 April | v Southampton (h) 19 April |
| v Stoke (a) 22 April | v Crystal Palace (a) 28 April |
| v Brighton (h) 28 April | v West Ham (h) 5 May |
| v Arsenal (a) 5 May | v Arsenal (h) 9 May |
| v Bournemouth (h) 13 May | v Tottenham (a) 13 May |
Man of the match - Nick Pope (Burnley)
Another Vardy goal, another defeat - the stats
- Vardy has been on the losing side in eight Premier League games this season when he has scored, a record for a single campaign in the competition.
- Vardy has scored in eight of his past 10 Premier League appearances (8 goals), after finding the back of net in just three of his 12 games before that (3 goals).
- This is the first time Burnley have scored two goals inside the opening 10 minutes of Premier League game.
- It is also just the first time Leicester conceded two goals within the first 10 minutes of a Premier League game since August 2003.
- Wood has been directly involved in six goals in his five Premier League games since coming back from injury (5 goals, 1 assists).
- Gudmundsson has provided seven assists in the Premier League this season, two more than any other Burnley player has ever managed in a single campaign in the competition.
- Long has registered goal involvements in consecutive league games (1 goal, 1 assist) for the first time since December 2011 for Accrington.
What's next?
Burnley and Leicester are back in Premier League action on Thursday as they host teams who are involved in next weekend's FA Cup semi-finals. Burnley entertain Chelsea at Turf Moor (19:45 BST) at the same time as Leicester take on struggling Southampton.
Line-ups
Burnley
Formation 4-4-2
- 29Pope
- 2Lowton
- 28Long
- 5Tarkowski
- 23Ward
- 25LennonBooked at 65mins
- 4Cork
- 18Westwood
- 17Berg Gudmundsson
- 10BarnesBooked at 81minsSubstituted forVokesat 85'minutes
- 11WoodSubstituted forHendrickat 75'minutes
Substitutes
- 1Heaton
- 3Taylor
- 8Marney
- 9Vokes
- 13Hendrick
- 21Wells
- 26Bardsley
Leicester
Formation 4-4-1-1
- 1SchmeichelSubstituted forHamerat 86'minutes
- 2Simpson
- 5Morgan
- 15Maguire
- 3Chilwell
- 26Mahrez
- 38Choudhury
- 14Adrien Silva
- 7GraySubstituted forDiabatéat 64'minutes
- 20OkazakiSubstituted forIheanachoat 45'minutesBooked at 87mins
- 9Vardy
Substitutes
- 8Iheanacho
- 11Albrighton
- 12Hamer
- 16Dragovic
- 28Fuchs
- 32Barnes
- 33Diabaté
- Referee:
- Martin Atkinson
- Attendance:
- 21,727
Match Stats
Home TeamBurnleyAway TeamLeicester
- Possession
- Home39%
- Away61%
- Shots
- Home8
- Away15
- Shots on Target
- Home3
- Away6
- Corners
- Home4
- Away8
- Fouls
- Home9
- Away10
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Burnley 2, Leicester City 1.
Post update
Attempt missed. Jamie Vardy (Leicester City) header from the centre of the box misses to the right. Assisted by Fousseni Diabaté with a cross.
Post update
Foul by Harry Maguire (Leicester City).
Post update
Sam Vokes (Burnley) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Booking
Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Foul by Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City).
Post update
Ashley Westwood (Burnley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Substitution
Substitution, Leicester City. Ben Hamer replaces Kasper Schmeichel because of an injury.
Substitution
Substitution, Burnley. Sam Vokes replaces Ashley Barnes.
Post update
Delay in match Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City) because of an injury.
Post update
Corner, Leicester City. Conceded by Stephen Ward.
Post update
Attempt blocked. Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
Booking
Ashley Barnes (Burnley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Ashley Barnes (Burnley).
Post update
Adrien Silva (Leicester City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Post update
Foul by Kevin Long (Burnley).
Post update
Attempt saved. Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester City) left footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Adrien Silva with a through ball.
Comments
Join the conversation
Pope for England without doubt....!
Oh just put a sock in it, would you?
Burnley have been absolutely fantastic to watch this season.
You've obviously never seen Barnes score a worldie like the other week!
Sean Dyche is without doubt the top young English manager. He has done a fantastic job with limited resources and has built a real team that plays for each other. He is always polite, humble and gracious. An old school manager.
Grow up JayRM, if you can't, then football isn't the game for you.
Biggest laugh of the weekend. Cheers.
Now get back in your suitcase and we'll get someone to lock it.
Lol.
Hack and foul?
You don't half look like a spoilt child Jay.
Lol!
Well you should be in a locked one.
I am a Leicester can but I cannot take anything away from Burnley. They have played their hearts out and thoroughly deserve a European adventure and I for one wish them all the best of luck.
Hoping for a better season next year though fairly happy with our league position.
Sean Dyche is without doubt the top young English manager. He has done a fantastic job with limited resources and has built a real team that plays for each other. He is always polite, humble and gracious. An old school manager.