Burnley 1-2 Brighton: Yves Bissouma's stunning strike sees off Clarets

Aaron Connolly (top right)Getty Images

Aaron Connolly (top right) scored his first Premier League goal since October

By Saj Chowdhury
BBC Sport

Brighton recorded their highest Premier League points total as they completed their campaign with an impressive win at Burnley.

The victory, courtesy of goals from Yves Bissouma and Aaron Connolly, means the Seagulls finish 15th with 41 points - one better than the total achieved in 2017-18.

The Seagulls rattled the Clarets during the opening 30 minutes and took the lead through Malian Bissouma, who marked his first Premier League goal with wonderful side-foot strike from 25 yards.

It should have been 2-0 seconds after the restart when Neal Maupay, the club's top scorer this season with 10 goals, headed Tariq Lamptey's cross against the bar.

Burnley, without five key first-team players including skipper Ben Mee, looked off the pace in the first half, but managed to level just before the break when Chris Wood fired in with a low shot.

However, it was again advantage Brighton five minutes after the restart when Connolly shrugged off an attempted challenge by Kevin Long on the left before threading his angled shot past Nick Pope.

The Seagulls' stubborn defence was then pushed to the limit by waves of Burnley attacks. It seemed the home side had equalised again when Jay Rodriguez headed in - but a video assistant referee check ruled that team-mate Wood was offside.

Despite defeat Sean Dyche has led his modestly-priced squad to a second top-10 finish in five Premier League seasons.

Brighton's defence keeps Burnley at bay

Burnley 1-2 Brighton: Seagulls worthy of the three points - Graham Potter

Brighton's style of play may have changed under manager Graham Potter, but one thing that has remained constant from the Chris Hughton era is the miserly defence.

In fact, Potter has made them a tighter outfit, conceding 1.42 goals per game this season compared to 1.57 in 2018-19 when they also finished just above the drop zone. Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy were the mainstays in central defence back then, but this season it has been Dunk and £20m signing Adam Webster.

Both acted as barricades on Sunday, repelling Burnley's physical attack and aerial assaults. Dunk was particularly outstanding and made a superb block to deny Kevin Long. With centre-back Ben White set to return to the south coast from a very successful loan spell at Leeds, expect Brighton to be even tougher to break down next season.

As for the attack, which is not as widely hailed, it caused Burnley plenty of consternation in the opening half. Bissouma's strike was the standout moment, but both Maupay and Connolly excelled. The expected free capture of former Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana will add to the creativity behind the front-line.

On that speculation, Potter said: "There's a lot of names in the paper at this time of year but with the greatest respect I just speak about the guys at our club."

The Seagulls boss praised his side for inflicting Burnley's first home league defeat since New Year's Day, and added: "We can go into a little break and have some time with the family, hopefully enjoy that and come back and try to improve."

Questions remain as Burnley end on low note

Burnley 1-2 Brighton: The lads have been unbelievable - Dyche praises Burnley players

Dyche might use this match to highlight how threadbare his squad can look with a handful of injuries. His bench again featured a group of inexperienced youngsters, with several first-team players sidelined.

Last month, the manager publicly stated his gripes with the board regarding his squad, and has since been asked about his future at the Clarets who, in many people's eyes, have overachieved since their return to the top flight in 2016.

The usually robust defence looked flimsy at times on Sunday. Little could have been done to stop Bissouma's strike, which effectively ended Pope's hopes of winning the Premier League Golden Glove, but Long should have done better to hold off Connolly for the second goal.

In attack, Wood took his goal well, controlling Erik Pieters' perfect pass before slotting in, while the hard-working Jay Rodriguez will be aggrieved his second-half header was chalked off by VAR because Wood was offside.

The Clarets finish 10th - an achievement that should be celebrated - but doubts remain over Dyche's future.

When he was again asked about it after the match, he said: "I've been asked that question about 4,000 times and I answer the same every time.

"I'll be going on holiday tomorrow, that's what I'll be doing."

Man of the match - Lewis Dunk (Brighton)

Reuters

Lewis Dunk (left) was a brick wall and made a crucial block to deny what would have been a certain goal for Kevin Long

Brighton end Burnley jinx - the stats

  • Burnley have now lost all four of their matches on the final day of the season since their return to the Premier League in 2016-17, with each of them coming at home.

  • Brighton have won their first league meeting against Burnley since August 2013 after failing to win their previous eight (D6 L2).

  • Brighton's two goals against Burnley were as many as they managed in their first five Premier League matches against the Clarets combined.

  • Pieters has provided four assists for Burnley in the Premier League this season - more than he managed in his previous three seasons in the competition with Stoke City (three).

  • Wood scored 14 goals in the league this season - the third-best return in a single campaign in his career in the English leagues after 2012-13 (20) and 2016-17 (27).

  • Bissouma scored his first goal in the Premier League in his 50th appearance in the competition.

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