The game was slow to settle, with Burnley struggling to maintain possession against a Millwall side which opened up like it could cause real trouble. Their line-up on paper is nothing to trouble Burnley's but they began the game quickly, closing Burnley down well and not allowing them to settle.
They counter-attacked quickly with purposeful, short passes and movement that looked to have the potential to wreak havoc between Burnley's defence and midfield. The chances had been Burnley's early on (although none amounted to much), but Millwall were still looking lively after 27 minutes when disaster struck for the home side.
Sean Dyche said last week that there isn't a problem with the way Burnley defend set pieces, but this makes 6 goals conceded from set pieces in Burnley's last nine league games. After a soft Trippier foul, the original free kick from deep on the left was headed meekly out, only to be controlled just outside the area by Martyn Woolford and dispatched neatly into the bottom corner.
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| Two more goals for Danny Ings, the best player on the field |
It'd have been easy to be disheartened sat out in such miserable conditions looking at such a miserable scoreline, but thankfully we were hardly given a chance to contemplate it. Within two minutes, a hopeful loop from Trippier eluded its intended target Kightly, eluded the defender, and fell to the feet of Danny Ings.
For the second time in two games he pulled out a bit of magic to equalise, turning and hammering the ball home. The ball may have been deflected on its way through, but it was a magnificent piece of skill from a magnificent player. And boy did it bring Burnley to life.
Suddenly it was all Burnley. What had been an even game was now suffocated in midfield by the Clarets, and the traffic was all one way. The conditions were awful by this point, but such was the dominance of Burnley that they only seemed to affect Millwall.
Arfield and Kightly tested the 'keeper, before twice Danny Ings should have given them the lead. Twice good work by Scott Arfield found Ings in possession in the penalty area. The first he couldn't get it under control, and eventually hit a deflected effort way over the bar. The second was an even better chance - I can't imagine anybody in the ground imagined Ings not to score after a soft nudge on him by Abdou drew a penalty, but in truth it was a poor spot kick and Bywater only had to guess right to keep it out. Guess right he did, and the ball was cleared.
It'd have been no less than a travesty for this game to enter half-time level, and fortunately up stepped Dean Marney (seriously). Yet more neat play from Arfield down the left allowed him to cut the ball back to Marney, whose first time left-footed shot curled eloquently into the bottom corner (no, seriously). Marney's game this season has included just about everything but a goal threat, and it was plain to see in his celebration just how he felt about that.
Half-time came and went, and it's hard to say Burnley were any more troubled after the break than during it. Beyond a cross that caught awkwardly in the wind, Tom Heaton was never asked to do anything except the routine, and the game played out exactly as Sean Dyche would have dreamt it.
Burnley may have been less potent going forward, but that didn't stop one more moment of absolute magic. Trippier's pinpoint pass from inside his own half fell in front of Ings in the box. In no space, with no time, Ings held the ball up with the most sublime first touch before tucking it happily under the goalie. It can't have been two seconds from nothing to the goal, and it really did encapsulate the ability of our two most exciting players.
With the game won, Burnley relaxed. Where previously they'd smothered the game, they now simply cradled it, cutting out Millwall attacks before they were attacks, controlling possession with ease, and occasionally blazing forward when the urge came upon them.
Arfield, Kightly and Ings all had exciting forays forward, and Junior - on as a sub - forced a decent save from Bywater from a free kick. In truth though, the game could have ended after 62 minutes and not much would be different.
It was a comfortable win, an exciting win, and it was the win Burnley needed after three consecutive draws. Heaton was untroubled, Duff and Shackell commanding, Mee and Trippier both put in good attacking performances to add to the ease with which they stemmed attacks.
Marney and Jones were at their best, too, resplendent in the way they controlled things. Arfield, under par recently, played one of his best games for Burnley. Kightly too was good. In Sam Vokes and Danny Ings, Burnley have the best strike partnership in this league, and it showed today.
Danny Ings missed two great chances including a penalty, and was still far and away the best player on the field - it's not easy to find a player like that. Add in a welcome return for Ross Wallace and some valuable minutes for Barnes and it's hard to think of a way this game could have been better.
I suppose breaking Burnley's record for home games unbeaten helps, actually.