Burnley handed the impetus back to relegation rivals Everton in the race for Premier League safety as they triumphed 1-0 over Wolves in Sunday’s early kick off.
It had been a close game between the Clarets and the European contenders, but Matej Vydra’s second-half goal settled it and handed the hosts their sixth league win of the season.
With Wout Weghorst threaded through on the right by Dwight McNeil, he squared the ball back towards the centre of the box and the Czech forward didn’t need to do much to divert it goalwards.
The goal had seemed to be coming after the hosts had one ruled out for offside earlier in the half, but it definitely hadn’t been an easy game for Mike Jackson’s men.
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Wolves had been their usual selves and dominated much of the ball throughout the game, often being difficult to break down at the back and with Jose Sa on hand to save his side should any efforts come his way.
But they struggled to progress past the Burnley defence and, on the two main occasions where they had managed to do so and pose any real threat, Jonny and Nelson Semedo both found themselves being denied by strong saves from Nick Pope.
For those who had been wondering if the sacking of Sean Dyche would damage this Burnley side, the past three games are evidence enough that they are capable of coping without him.
With no new full-time manager as yet to bounce on, perhaps this uptick in results is down to the tactical tinkering which caretaker boss Jackson has enacted, because this now looks to be a side for whom top-flight safety looks very possible.
Far more fluid than they ever used to be under, the Clarets are now able to go toe-to-toe against sides of Wolves’ stature and gain results. Even a team like Sunday’s, which had seemed to tire with three games in the past week, was capable of being creative in the final third.
If the raucous nature of the celebrations after the goal and after the final whistle was anything to go by, there has been new life breathed into this side and they seem capable of the battle for safety.
The impetus to beat the drop is steadily shifting towards Merseyside.
Burnley vs Wolves player ratings
Burnley (4-4-2): Nick Pope 7 – Charlie Taylor 6, James Tarkowski 6, Nathan Collins 6, Connor Roberts 6 – Jay Rodriguez 6.5, Josh Brownhill 6, Jack Cork 6, Dwight McNeil 7 – Matej Vydra 7.5, Wout Weghorst 6
Wolves (3-4-2-1): Jose Sa 7 – Romain Saiss 6, Conor Coady 6, Willy Boly – Jonny 6, Joao Moutinho 6, Leander Dendoncker 6, Nelson Semedo 6.5 – Hwang Hee-chan 6.5, Raul Jimenez 6 – Fabio Silva 7
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