Jay Rodriguez’s fifth goal of the season moved Burnley up to fourth in the Sky Bet Championship as they extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to eight games with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Bristol City.
Until Rodiguez’s winner, it had been a familiar story for Vincent Kompany’s team as they dominated possession but found it hard to build on Manuel Benson’s early goal at Turf Moor.
That was cancelled out by Nakhi Well’s close-range equaliser midway through the first half and it looked for a while as if Clarets would be held to their sixth draw of the season by a City team who defended resolutely.
But Rodriguez made sure of the three points – Burnley’s fourth league win of the season – against the team he had made his Clarets debut 15 years ago.
The home side made a flying start and could have been three up in the first six minutes.
The unmarked Nathan Tella was inches away from converting Benson’s dangerous low cross in the second minute but two minutes later Benson put the Clarets ahead with a shot from just inside the penalty area with the visitors allowing him too much time and space.
Two minutes after the goal, Josh Brownhill’s fierce volley looked to be heading for the top corner before hitting Rob Atkinson on the head and deflecting for a corner.
Former Burnley player Wells equalised for City against the run of play after 27 minutes.
Kal Naismith’s inswinging corner was missed by a posse of players at the near post, then bounced off both Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Tommy Conway before the ball fell to Wells who could not miss from a yard out.
Tella should have put the home side back in front after a slick passing move but the Southampton loanee scuffed his shot wide when Ian Maatsen’s pass had found him unmarked at the far post.
Maatsen then had a shot saved by Dan Bentley after another fine Burnley move.
Wells was denied a second goal early in the second half when his header was tipped over by Ari Muric.
But Burnley soon reasserted their first-half dominance. Josh Cullen had a shot saved by Bentley before they regained the lead after 67 minutes when Rodriguez headed home a cross from substitute Joey Gudmundsson.
Joe Williams had a shot blocked as Nigel Pearson’s battlers kept Burnley on their toes right to the end, although the home side went close to a third when substitute Anass Zaroury’s powerful shot was tipped away by Bentley.
