Jaidon Anthony scores for Burnley against Bristol City at Ashton Gate
Jaidon Anthony’s goal earned Burnley a second consecutive win to get their Championship promotion hopes back on track at Bristol City.
The Bournemouth loanee struck in the first half and then the Clarets defence, the joint meanest in the top four divisions, held out for their 10th clean sheet of the season as the Robins tried to rally in the second half.
Max O’Leary made a fine save to deny Luca Koleosho on the counter-attack and James Trafford made an even more important stop at the other end to stop substitute Yu Hirakawa from levelling.
The defeat at Ashton Gate is a blow to City’s own hopes of breaking into the play-off positions, and means they have still not won at home since 21 September.
The Lancashire side's push for the top had faltered with a run of four winless games but they went into the international break with a late, narrow win over Swansea City, and they were the better side as they sought to build on that in the West Country.
The home side had the best early chance as Max Bird teed up Anis Mehmeti, but his shot deflected wide.
But it was the visitors who went ahead in the 23rd minute after good work from Koleosho down the left.
He crossed for leading goalscorer Josh Brownhill, and when his side-foot shot took a deflection, O’Leary did well to get his hand to the effort. However, the save was in vain as the ball fell neatly for Anthony to fire home from close range.
Jason Knight shot narrowly wide as the Robins, who had won two of their previous three games, tried to rally, but Jay Rodriguez headed against the bar as Burnley remained a real threat on the counter.
Half-time replacement Hirakawa set up Bird with his first attack but the midfielder's touch was heavy and the chance disappeared.
City's pressure built, but Burnley still looked more likely to score as O'Leary brilliantly clawed away Koleosho's close-range shot and Knight hurled himself in the way of Hannibal Mejbri’s follow-up attempt.
The home side's big chance came when the Burnley defence, which has now conceded just six goals - the same number as Liverpool - in their opening 16 league games, went missing and Hirakawa raced clear. He tried to chip the advancing Trafford but the England Under-21 keeper stood tall to save.
Sinclair Armstrong had another Robins chance when he got his head to a free-kick into the box but he could only direct it wide of the goal, although the City players and fans screamed for a penalty as the ball glanced off the hand of Brownhill.
'We just had to dig' - reaction
Bristol City manager Liam Manning told BBC Radio Bristol:
"We didn’t do enough to win it but I felt we did enough to get something from it, especially in the second half when we were really on the front foot and played with purpose and intent. We lacked a bit of quality on the final bit.
"Yu (Hirakawa) had a terrific moment, and there were a lot of set-pieces where we ask questions, and a header back across goal from Rob Dickie where we didn't have anybody. But we didn't create enough despite getting in good areas.
"The second half was about the basics and a bit of belief, especially when you are playing such a good side.
On penalty shout: "I feel sorry for the officials because they change the definition of a handball every season. That one's not given but we get one on the halfway line against Jaidon Anthony when the ball is smashed at him from two yards. That's what infuriates everybody."
Liam Manning's post-match reaction after Bristol City's 1-0 defeat against Burnley.
Burnley manager Scott Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire:
"It's difficult place to come and the conditions today were horrendous, probably the wettest I've ever been standing on a touchline.
"We took some control in the first half, looked quite deadly in our moments and well-deserved the goal, and in the second half we started slow but then had 15 to 20 minutes of dominance when we could have made it easier for ourselves by putting away one of the chances we had.
"From there we just had to dig. We camped in and the momentum swung in their favour, and in that moment you need a group of men you can trust and they did that to a man."
