Burnley and Newcastle United played out a 1-1 draw at Turf Moor this evening to take a share of the spoils in their Premier League meeting.
The Clarets, who are now unbeaten in their last four games, edged ahead in the first half courtesy of George Boyd's strike on the edge of the area following Danny Ings's clever knockdown.
Alan Pardew's charges recovered from a largely poor showing in the opening 45 minutes with a goal shortly after the restart, with Papiss Cisse converting from close range to level up, although neither side could find a winner in the remaining time.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look back at how the game unfolded.
Match statistics
BURNLEY
Shots: 9
On target: 2
Possession: 43%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 12
NEWCASTLE UNITED
Shots: 9
On target: 4
Possession: 57%
Corners: 5
Fouls: 12
Was the result fair?
This was by no means a classic game, contested between two sides who pretty much cancelled each other out across the duration of the 90 minutes of play. In what was a scrappy affair at Turf Moor, Burnley took control of proceedings in the first half to take a deserved lead into half time courtesy of Boyd's well-taken strike. Pardew, clearly unhappy with his side's showing in the opening 45 minutes, made a double change at the break which seemed to work right from the off when Cisse levelled things up.
Neither side were able to create any chances of note in the remainder of the match, however, to ensure that the spoils were shared on a cold night in Lancashire. A point is by no means a bad result for a Clarets side now unbeaten in four in the league, and in with a real chance of surviving relegation. Likewise, Newcastle will surely take the small positives that they can away from this one ahead of a tough run of fixtures over the festive period.
Burnley's performance
When you have a striker in the type of form that Ings is in, with four goals in his last five outings coming into tonight's meeting, then you have always got to try to utilise that player's strengths. Burnley did exactly that, and the link-up play between Ings, Boyd and Ashley Barnes was brilliant at times, albeit with little end product other than the opening goal.
Sean Dyche's men are still not scoring enough, with just 10 league goals to their name all season, although they have well and truly turned a corner over the past few weeks to settle into the top flight following their promotion last season. Two points from a possible six at home against Aston Villa and Newcastle may not look like the form of a side on a decent run, although the Clarets can be more than happy with their work over the past four games, which has seen them climb to safety for the time being.
Newcastle United's performance
Having seen their six-game winning run in all competitions come to an end last time out against West Ham United, Pardew would have been keen for his side to bounce back to winning ways this evening. That was not to be the case, but the Toon boss will be pleased with the change in attitude his side showed following a rather dismal first half.
Cisse looked off his game in particular, yet that equalising goal gave him and his teammates far more confidence on the ball and it was the visitors who looked more likely to find a winner. Newcastle face a tough run of fixtures in the coming weeks, as they prepare take on Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Everton and arch-rivals Sunderland, and a victory tonight would have been the perfect start in order to help rebuild some momentum. It was not to be, though, and now the Magpies are left perched right in the middle of the Premier League table.
Sports Mole's man of the match
George Boyd: Today was hardly an occasion for individuals, in what was a relatively scrappy affair with little individual brilliance. That said, Boyd proved to be the difference maker in the first half with his long-range drive, and also linked up well with his fellow attacking teammates.
Biggest gaffe
While Pardew will be furious with the manner in which his side conceded on the 34-minute mark, it was nothing compared to the goal his outfit scored. Burnley failed to clear their lines on a few occasions, and when Kieran Trippier fluffed his clearance the ball came back into the box where Cisse was waiting to volley in with his knee.
Referee performance
A quiet evening for Phil Dowd, who did not have a great deal to do across the 90 minutes. He tried his best to let play flow, often waiting a few seconds before pulling play back if needed, although that did not prove to be enough to help the flow of a stop-start encounter.
What next?
Burnley: The Clarets face a huge clash at the bottom on Saturday with a trip to face fellow strugglers Queens Park Rangers.
Newcastle United: As previously touched on, the North-East outfit face a tough run of fixtures through the remainder of December, which starts with the visit of Chelsea next weekend.
Daniel Lewis
