GOOOAAALLLL!!! WOOD SEALS IT FOR BURNLEY!! McNeil is able to fend off Gunnarsson then Peltier down the wing before delivering a low cross that Manga managed to intercept, only for the bounce to go against him and his side and fall into the path of Wood who heads it into an empty net for 2-0!
90'
There will be four minutes of added time to be played.
The away fans raise the noise as Cardiff win a corner on the stroke of full-time. Camarasa floats it in only for the home side to effectively deal with the danger. However, Heaton comes out of his area and launches a long one only for the loose ball to fall to Manga, whose shot is blocked for another corner that ends up as a foul for the Clarets.
88'
Mendez-Laing and Camarasa attempt a one-two only for the latter’s pass to be intercepted. Moments later, Wood is able to get on the last shoulder of Manga before getting flagged for offside.
82'
Camarasa gets yellow.
Taylor looks to have brought down Gunnarsson in his own box before his team-mates were able to clear, but despite the midfielder’s protests, referee Dean denies waves away another Cardiff penalty claim!
Yellow card Víctor Camarasa Ferrando
81'
B. De Cordova-Reid enters the game and replaces H. Arter.
Reid comes on for Arter in Warnock’s last throw of the dice.
80'
Taylor embarks on a mazy run down the wing and is able to get some chalk on his boots before Peltier and Morrison combine to barge him off the ball. The Burnley left-back wins the free-kick though, and Wood gets on the end of Westwood’s whipped ball only for the header to lack any drive and go straight to Etheridge.
78'
O. Niasse enters the game and replaces K. Zohorè.
Warnock makes a second attacking change by bringing on Niasse in place of Zohore up top.
74'
Taylor is brought down late by Mendez-Laing after dragging the ball away from the latter, the substitute’s first contribution since coming on.
73'
N. Mendez-Laing enters the game and replaces J. Hoilett.
Warnock elects to make the first change of the match, bringing on Mendez-Laing for Hoilett in an attacking substitution.
Minute
Description
68'
Westwood floats the set-piece in only for Wood to head it away from Tarkowski behind him just as the latter looked to power it on target!
67'
Westwood wins a corner after getting on the end of Hendrick’s pass following Wood’s knock-down header towards the latter.
64'
Taylor whips a low ball in, but the cross is deflected and play ends after Wood is adjudged to have fouled Etheridge in an aerial challenge.
61'
Hoilett attempts a curler from distance, but the shot lacks power and Heaton is able to go low and collect the chance.
56'
Hoilett tries to break through the stout Burnley defence once more only to lose his footing and allow Lowton to clear the ball.
50'
H. Arter gets yellow.
L. Peltier gets yellow.
Arter is shown a yellow card for his animated protests over Dean’s decision to reverse the penalty call.
Yellow card Lee Peltier
46'
Cardiff get play restarted as the second half gets underway!
No changes to either side at the interval, as Cardiff need a goal to keep their hopes of staying up alive, a tough task given Burnley's first-half performance.
45' +3
HALF-TIME: BURNLEY 1-0 CARDIFF
45' +2
A. Barnes gets yellow.
Barnes also faces the wrath of referee Dean following his reaction to the foul, which was to kiss Bennett on the nose! McNeil’s low grass-cutter fails to threaten Etheridge though, and Cardiff get the ball back.
45' +1
J. Bennett gets yellow.
Bennett brings Barnes down as the latter was bursting to get inside the Bluebirds box, and the midfielder becomes the second Cardiff player booked.
45'
There will be two minutes of added time to be played.
43'
Bennett steps up with a curler, but his powerful effort lacks the accuracy to go on target and it goes out for a Clarets goal kick.
42'
J. Tarkowski gets yellow.
Dean’s patience has finally snapped and he books Tarkowski for yet another foul, this time on Murphy by cynically pushing him down as the winger tried to get on the end of Zohore’s pass. Cardiff now have an excellent opportunity.
40'
Gunnarsson launches a missile of a throw-in deep into the congested Burnley box, but Mee rises highest to head the ball away. Barnes gains possession, then wins a free-kick off of an over-enthusiastic Arter keen to win it back.
31'
C. Wood has scored a goal for Burnley! Assist by D. McNeil.
Westwood floats it across goal but Etheridge is able to get his fingertips on to it to concede another Burnley corner.
GOOOOAAALLL!! BURNLEY FINALLY OPEN THE SCORING! They huffed and puffed but they grab a deserved goal thanks to another Wood header following a McNeil in-swinger! 1-0 to Burnley, and Cardiff are now in serious trouble!
McNeil adds to his impressive game so far with another assist for the season, as it was his in-swinging corner which found Wood in a crowded Cardiff area following more pressure from the rampant home side!
30'
Peltier fouls Taylor close to the edge of the penalty area, and the Cardiff right-back gives away a free-kick in a potentially dangerous area.
29'
Referee Dean has to step in as Gunnarsson and Wood get into a tangle, requiring several players from either side to intervene and quickly calm things down. No bookings for either party, and play continues.
23'
McNeil forces another corner off of Peltier, who has been struggling to deal with the young winger’s impressive start to the match. Westwood’s set-piece comes to nothing though, and Cardiff clear.
22'
Good ball by Manga towards Murphy, but the latter is unable to cap his fine run towards the ball as Heaton is able to sweep up the danger.
20'
Arter is in space in the Burnley half and finds Hoilett out on the wing, but the latter’s cross is headed away by the home defence only as far out as Gunnarsson, but the midfielder’s shot is poor and is booted clear of the Clarets’ penalty area.
19'
Tarkowski fouls Zohore once again, and this is turning out to be quite the physical battle between the Burnley centre-back and the Cardiff forward.
15'
Etheridge stops a low drive by Barnes, despite the Burnley forward’s shot not being the cleanest of hits.
14'
Zohore is brought down by Tarkowski and Cardiff win a free-kick deep in the Burnley half. It’s floated towards the box only for Morrison to get a bit too physical in the pursuit of the ball and the home side gain a free-kick themselves.
13'
Murphy does well to take down a cross-field pass and cut in to find space despite pressure from Tarkowski, but his shot isn’t powerful enough to test Heaton.
11'
Manga cheaply gives the ball away to Barnes and the forward attempts to run towards the Cardiff penalty area only for the former to recover well and clear the danger away.
9'
McNeil manages to whip in a good cross which is headed away at the near-post for a Burnley corner. Westwood delivers it only for Etheridge to palm it away from the six-yard box, and the Cardiff goalkeeper eventually collects the loose ball to stop any further threat from the home side.
7'
Mee heads Zohore’s cross away with authority following some decent wingplay from the Cardiff forward, and Burnley are able to boot the ball away to safety.
4'
Gunnarsson clips Hendrick but to the fury of the Burnley crowd, referee Dean allows play to carry on with Cardiff on the offensive. However, the Iceland midfielder’s pass is poor and Lowton is able to clear the ball away for the game’s first corner.
1'
Referee Mike Dean blows his whistle, and Burnley get us underway at Turf Moor!
The hosts are in their usual colours of claret-and-blue, while the visitors are decked in their away kit of white shirts and blue shorts.
Two straight wins against Wolves and Bournemouth have greatly helped Burnley’s cause, as they have managed to create an eight-point gap between themselves in 14th place and the relegation zone. However, despite their relative safety from the drop at this point, Sean Dyche will demand that his Clarets maintain their focus as they seek a third victory on the bounce.
Hello and welcome to our LIVE coverage of this Premier League match as Burnley host Cardiff City at Turf Moor!
BURNLEY XI (4-4-2): Tom Heaton (c); Matthew Lowton, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee, Charlie Taylor; Jeff Hendrick, Ashley Westwood, Jack Cork, Dwight McNeil; Ashley Barnes, Chris Wood.
And without further ado, let’s take a look at how both sides line up, starting with the hosts.
CARDIFF XI (4-2-3-1): Neil Etheridge; Lee Peltier, Sean Morrison, Bruno Ecuele Manga, Joe Bennett; Harry Arter, Aron Gunnarsson; David Junior Hoilett, Victor Camarasa, Josh Murphy; Kenneth Zohore.
SUBSTITUTES: Robbie Brady, Joe Hart, Johann Gudmundsson, Stephen Ward, Matej Vydra, Kevin Long, Ben Gibson.
SUBSTITUTES: Brian Murphy, Oumar Niasse, Leandro Bacuna, Bobby Reid, Nathaniel Mendez-Laing, Joe Ralls, Greg Cunningham.
Cardiff, meanwhile, must avoid defeat otherwise they will be all but relegated from the Premier League. Neil Warnock’s side, however, have struggled to maintain consistency throughout the season, and the omens look bad for the Bluebirds given that they’ve lost four of their last five league games, conceding at least twice in those losses during that run.
The players are out and kick-off is drawing near.
Another goal from the Clarets would put Dyche’s and his players’ minds at ease, such is the lack of threat from the Cardiff attack as they’ve been effectively stifled throughout the game. He will look to have a word with Tarkowski regarding his discipline though, as he can ill-afford to have one of his key players sent off after the interval. As for Warnock, all signs point towards the Bluebirds coming out for the second half all guns blazing, as nothing short of an equaliser would do for this vital match for them.
Dyche’s Burnley now don’t have to play another Premier League match until Monday the 22nd, when they travel down to London to face Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea. As for Warnock’s Cardiff, Tuesday’s trip to the south coast has become the archetypal relegation six-pointer as only four points separate them from their hosts, Brighton & Hove Albion in what is a vital fixture for both sides.
And that wraps up our coverage. We hope you enjoyed our commentary, and until next time, goodbye!
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