Anass Zaroury and Connor Roberts, both of whom participated in the World Cup, scored in the first half, and Nathan Tella added an injury-time third as Vincent Kompany’s in-form Clarets gained their 14th win in 24 Championship games this season, increasing their advantage over second-placed Sheffield United.
All of the Turf Moor action as it transpired despite Zaroury’s sensational return to EFL action, Burnley’s opener had an element of luck to it. In the Blues’ first attack, a foul on Krystian Bielik at the top of the pitch went unpunished. Burnley broke, Manuel Benson slipped a lovely pass inside the full-back, Roberts drilled in a low cross, and Zaroury got in just ahead of Maxime Collin to slot home a superb right-foot finish.
Zaroury’s goal was his fourth in their last four home games after a month out on World Cup duty, during which he only appeared in the third-place play-off game against Belgium.
He’d already produced another opening, from which Benson fired a shot just wide, when he played a clever one-two with Josh Brownhill, collected a magnificent flicked return pass over the top, and raced on to make the net ripple.
Burnley had additional chances to send Blues down even further, but keeper John Ruddy saved an instinctive reaction flick from former West Bromwich Albion striker Jay Rodriguez, and Josh Cullen blazed over with a golden chance before Tella sealed the deal three minutes into injury time.
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany said on BBC Sport: “It was a game that, while I was not anxious about, I knew following the game down at Birmingham, that they would put up some obstacles for us. They made it difficult for us down there. And, given that Troy Deeney is a game legend, keeping another clean sheet was just as vital as scoring three goals again.
“When Anass Zaroury returned from Qatar, we had no idea what to anticipate. Does he begin? Do we take him off the field? But what he did in training decided the matter for us.
“I like guys who have a smile on their face, and he’s one of them. It’s excellent to work with players who want to learn. John Eustace, the manager of Birmingham City, told BBC Sport: “I was quite upset with the way in which that first goal was scored. It was a foul on Krystian Bielik, and we were gutted to surrender so quickly. “We recovered and got a bit of control but then we allowed that one in on the stroke of half-time to push us back again. “We adjusted a few things at half-time and competed better in the second half. However, Burnley is the league’s best team.
“It emphasizes that, in the last third, we need to be a lot better, especially against a side as excellent as them. Scott Hogan is almost ready to return, but he has a virus.”
