Burnley 1-0 Wolverhampton Wanderers: Matej Vydra scores to boost Premier League survival bid

Burnley’s recent renaissance continued as Matej Vydra clinched a hard-fought win against Wolves at Turf Moor which piled the pressure on Everton in the fight for Premier League survival.

Wolves had earlier forced saves from Nick Pope either side of half-time, but mustered little in way of a response.

Burnley have now won seven points from three games since sacking Sean Dyche.

“It was full of everything that Burnley is about. The character of the group and the fans is key: that togetherness,” said interim manager Mike Jackson, who says he has not been told how long he will be in charge.

“Managers search around for team spirit, we’ve got that and we need to bottle and harness it.”

Beating Wolves moved the Clarets out of the relegation zone and above Everton, although the Toffees could leapfrog them if they beat Liverpool in the Merseyside derby later on Sunday.

Wolves remain eighth as they aim for European qualification but missed the chance to close the gap on seventh-placed West Ham.

Vydra’s surprise start pays dividends for Burnley

Burnley’s decision to sack the long-serving Dyche was met with scepticism and shock, both from the Clarets fans who adored him and those outside the club who admired his ability to keep the club competitive in the Premier League on a small budget.

Clarets owner Alan Pace was questioned over the benefit and timing of sacking Dyche, but it could prove to be justified after interim boss Mike Jackson has halted what seemed to be an irreversible slide towards the Championship.

Among joyous scenes after the final whistle, with the home fans chanting ‘We are staying up!’, Pace allowed himself a smile of satisfaction in the stands.

Jackson hugged injured Clarets skipper Ben Mee, who is part of the new-look coaching team, on the touchline before the Burnley players were roared off the pitch to a standing ovation.

Matchwinner Vydra was the focal point of the celebrations – but knew he might not have started had Maxwel Cornet not failed a late fitness test.

“I don’t think I would have started but hopefully I have done everything right today,” said Vydra, whose only other Premier League goal this season rescued a draw at Chelsea.

“It was an important goal and this is more important than the first one. It doesn’t matter who scores – we just have to be one goal ahead of the opposite team and just get the three points.”

The Clarets took four points from their first two matches under Jackson and knew another against Wolves would substantially boost their bid to stay in the Premier League for a seventh successive season.

While they were second best to Wolves in a first half lacking attacking quality, Burnley hung in, imposed themselves on the game and took their chance when it arrived in the second half.

“No question we can stay up,” added Vydra. “We are fighting for that and we showed we will stick together. We only have one target and that is staying up.”

Wolves leave Lage frustrated again

With Wolves remaining in the hunt for European qualification, boss Bruno Lage warned his side they could not afford to “miss more chances” going into the match at Turf Moor.

Even without the likes of Ruben Neves and Daniel Podence, the visitors looked the more confident and creative in a tight first half.

Intricate play in the Burnley third saw left wing-back Jonny force a flying save from Clarets keeper Pope, while a low cross by Fabio Silva was hacked clear by Connor Roberts with Raul Jimenez lurking.

After the break, England international Pope once again illustrated his importance to Burnley with another acrobatic stop to deny Nelson Semedo.

Other than that, it was a lifeless performance from Wolves in the second half as they failed to take advantage of West Ham’s defeat by Chelsea.

Lage has watched his team lose six of the past nine matches and his frustration was clear afterwards.

“I have seen these games too many times from my team this season,” said the Portuguese boss.

“I think we were the better team and controlled the game.

“We didn’t score a goal and one mistake and they score. The frustration is that when you look at the table we should be doing better.

“We should be killing games with the first goal.”