Brighton held by Burnley in dour goalless draw

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:12 am

Brighton & Hove Albion fought out a dull 0-0 draw with Burnley in the Premier League on Friday and the stalemate did neither side any favours in their attempts to ease relegation worries after a lacklustre clash at the Amex stadium.

The result left Brighton 16th in the table on six points from eight games while Burnley, yet to win a league match this season, moved off the bottom to 19th on two points from seven.

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Brighton were more purposeful going forward and missed several chances although the visitors nearly scored first when Matt Lowton hit the crossbar in the fourth minute.

Robert Brady fired wide for Burnley with an acrobatic overhead kick before theri keeper Nick Pope pulled off a fine reflex save to deny Brighton's new signing Danny Welbeck at the other end, keeping out the forward's shot with his feet.

Burnley and Brighton and Hove Albion players react at the end of their Premier League draw.
Burnley and Brighton and Hove Albion players react at the end of their Premier League draw.
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Brighton manager Graham Potter was pleased with his team's effort and with ex-England striker Welbeck, who joined the club on a free transfer last month after being released by Watford.

"You've got to score, that was the only thing missing from our performance," Potter said. "We restricted Burnley to pretty much nothing. We had chances.

"Performance-wise, I'm really happy. We're always looking to improve. It's disappointing to only get one point.

"The fact Danny Welbeck gets in there is really positive. It was a really good impact and good performance. He'll get better and better the longer he's with us."

Brighton's Neal Maupay had a shot blocked after a promising move midway through the second half as the home side pressed, but Burnley's defence kept a clean sheet after making several timely clearances in the closing stages.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche was happy his team were able to avoid defeat, although he conceded that they need to start winning games if they are to avoid relegation.

"I thought the mentality was right and we looked more like ourselves with our defensive shape and urgency," Dyche said.

"We know we have to create better chances, but it's a base to build on. We're never a million miles away but we need to get on the right side of margins and it needs to happen quickly."

Brighton visit Aston Villa in their next match on Nov. 21 when Burnley are at home to Crystal Palace.