Burnley are staring at a second Premier League relegation in three seasons after being humbled at Turf Moor by a rampant Newcastle United.
Vincent Kompany’s men won the Championship last term and had a glimmer of survival hope before Saturday’s game, but following this wretched collapse at home and Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win at Sheffield United, they sit five points from safety with two games remaining.
The Clarets started brightly but could not capitalise as Jacob Bruun Larsen’s effort in the third minute was smothered by Martin Dubravka, while Kompany was left incensed after referee Anthony Taylor did not award a penalty for Bruno Guimaraes’ shove on Lorenz Assignon in the box.
The visitors took the lead with their first attack of the game as Callum Wilson reacted quickest to slot in after Arijanet Muric parried Alexander Isak’s effort back into the danger area.
Eddie Howe’s men looked devastating each time they poured forward and took total control by netting twice more before half-time courtesy of first-time finishes by Sean Longstaff and Guimaraes.
Josh Brownhill tugged Anthony Gordon’s shirt in the box in the second half and though Isak’s penalty was saved by Muric, the Swede lashed in soon after for his 20th league goal of the campaign.
Dara O’Shea’s header gave Burnley a late consolation goal but Newcastle’s emphatic victory moves them up a place to sixth, two points ahead of Manchester United who travel to Crystal Palace on Monday (kick-off 20:00 BST).
Burnley crumble on home soil
Some Burnley supporters had started to believe the great escape was on after a run of one defeat in eight games clawed their side to within two points of safety.
But as the story has been time and again this season, Burnley got off to an upbeat start yet could not find the breakthrough before crumbling at the other end of the pitch.
Burnley head to Europe-chasing Tottenham next Saturday and host Forest on the final day of the season, but it is a big ask now for them to take it to the wire in the unlikeliest of survival stories.
The Clarets needed to win on Saturday and the result may have been different if Larsen had been able to convert early on or official Taylor had pointed to the spot when Assignon went down in the box.
The French full-back was in the thick of the action and nearly gave his side the breakthrough, cutting on to his left foot and firing a shot at goalkeeper Dubravka.
Newcastle, though, kept their composure and took their opponents apart with some incisive play which puts them in the mix for Europa League football next season.
Striker Wilson, who scored twice at Turf Moor to send Burnley down two seasons ago, may well have contributed to doing the same this time with an opportunistic effort on 19 minutes.
Full-back Tino Livramento forced Muric into a full-stretch save but they did not have to wait much longer for more goals with Longstaff and Guimaraes finding space in the box before converting clinical finishes.
Burnley were woeful and provided more joy for the elated visiting supporters in the second period as Isak punished slack defending following his penalty miss to become Newcastle’s fifth player to reach the 20-goal milestone in the top-flight.
Newcastle embarrassed Sheffield United 8-0 earlier this season and could have run riot once more, but Guimaraes’ curling shot was tipped wide by Muric while the livewire Gordon dragged off target late on.
How to play
Rate players out of 10 throughout or after the game. The rater will close 30 minutes after the final whistle.
Rating range key = Give it up = Pure perfection
Burnley
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Squad number49Player nameMuric
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Squad number20Player nameAssignon
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Squad number2Player nameO’Shea
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Squad number33Player nameEsteve
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Squad number22Player nameVitinho
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Squad number24Player nameCullen
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Squad number16Player nameBerge
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Squad number47Player nameOdobert
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Squad number8Player nameBrownhill
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Squad number34Player nameBruun Larsen
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Squad number17Player nameFoster
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Squad number7Player nameGudmundsson
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Squad number18Player nameEkdal
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Squad number23Player nameFofana
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Squad number25Player nameAmdouni
Newcastle United
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Squad number1Player nameDúbravka
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Squad number21Player nameLivramento
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Squad number17Player nameKrafth
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Squad number33Player nameBurn
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Squad number20Player nameHall
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Squad number23Player nameMurphy
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Squad number36Player nameS Longstaff
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Squad number39Player nameBruno Guimarães
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Squad number10Player nameGordon
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Squad number9Player nameWilson
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Squad number14Player nameIsak
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Squad number7Player nameJoelinton
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Squad number11Player nameRitchie
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Squad number15Player nameBarnes
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Squad number24Player nameAlmirón
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Squad number32Player nameAnderson
Line-ups
Burnley
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 49Muric
- 20Assignon
- 2O’Shea
- 33EsteveBooked at 37minsSubstituted forEkdalat 45+1′minutes
- 22da Silva
- 24Cullen
- 16Berge
- 47Odobert
- 8BrownhillBooked at 51minsSubstituted forAmdouniat 85′minutes
- 34Bruun LarsenSubstituted forGudmundssonat 62′minutes
- 17FosterSubstituted forFofanaat 85′minutes
Substitutes
- 1Trafford
- 3Taylor
- 7Gudmundsson
- 9RodrÃguez
- 10Manuel
- 18Ekdal
- 23Fofana
- 25Amdouni
- 31Trésor
Newcastle
Formation 4-4-2
- 1Dúbravka
- 21Livramento
- 17Krafth
- 33Burn
- 20Hall
- 23MurphySubstituted forAndersonat 69′minutesBooked at 72mins
- 36S LongstaffSubstituted forJoelintonat 77′minutes
- 39Bruno Guimarães
- 10GordonSubstituted forRitchieat 85′minutes
- 9WilsonBooked at 18minsSubstituted forBarnesat 69′minutes
- 14IsakSubstituted forAlmirónat 77′minutes
Substitutes
- 3Dummett
- 7Joelinton
- 11Ritchie
- 15Barnes
- 22Pope
- 24Almirón
- 32Anderson
- 40White
- 54Murphy
- Referee:
- Anthony Taylor
- Attendance:
- 21,781
Live Text
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Match ends, Burnley 1, Newcastle United 4.
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Second Half ends, Burnley 1, Newcastle United 4.
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Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Dara O’Shea.
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Attempt blocked. Harvey Barnes (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Tino Livramento.
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Attempt blocked. Zeki Amdouni (Burnley) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
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Foul by Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United).
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Jóhann Gudmundsson (Burnley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Arijanet Muric.
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Attempt saved. Harvey Barnes (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Joelinton.
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Attempt missed. Sander Berge (Burnley) right footed shot from outside the box is too high.
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Attempt blocked. Jóhann Gudmundsson (Burnley) left footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by David Datro Fofana.
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Attempt saved. Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Harvey Barnes.
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Corner, Newcastle United. Conceded by Vitinho.
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Goal! Burnley 1, Newcastle United 4. Dara O’Shea (Burnley) header from the centre of the box to the top left corner. Assisted by Jóhann Gudmundsson with a cross following a corner.
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Corner, Burnley. Conceded by Matt Ritchie.
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Substitution, Newcastle United. Matt Ritchie replaces Anthony Gordon.
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Substitution, Burnley. David Datro Fofana replaces Lyle Foster.
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Substitution, Burnley. Zeki Amdouni replaces Josh Brownhill.
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Bruno Guimarães (Newcastle United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Foul by Josh Brownhill (Burnley).
Source Agencies