Mats Wieffer was the most improbable of match-winners at Turf Moor, ending a 16-month goal drought with a double that earned Brighton a 2-0 victory and pushed Burnley to the brink of relegation back to the Championship. The Dutch defender, who had managed only one goal for the club before this trip to Lancashire, tripled his Brighton tally inside an afternoon to keep the Seagulls firmly in the hunt for European football.
Wieffer struck two minutes before the break and again with a minute remaining, his late runs into the box punishing a Burnley side who showed spirit and twice had the ball in the net, only for lengthy VAR reviews to chalk off both efforts by the narrowest of margins. Victory moved Brighton to within two points of sixth-placed Chelsea and represented a fifth win in their last six matches, while leaving Burnley 12 points from safety with six games to play.
Early Promise Undone by the Flag
Burnley made a positive start and thought they had taken the lead in the seventh minute when Jaidon Anthony found the back of the net on the turn, only for replays to show he had strayed inches offside. It was a sign of things to come for the Clarets, who soon went close again when Anthony's clever flick at the front post from a well-worked corner was blocked. For a side with only one win in their last 23 league matches, the early intent was encouraging.