Burnley clinch Championship title with win over Blackburn
Promoted Burnley finally clinched the Championship title with a win over rivals Blackburn Rovers in the east Lancashire derby at Ewood Park.
Manuel Benson’s superb second-half strike broke the deadlock for the Clarets in a feisty match that had a high tempo but saw both sides limited in clear-cut chances in front of goal.
Blackburn created more opportunities, with five shots on target to one from Burnley, as Dom Hyam saw a strike from distance saved and Sammie Szmodics almost flicked the ball inside the near post in stoppage time.
The defeat hits Rovers’ chances of reaching the play-offs and leaves them in eighth place, without a win in their past seven league games and outside the top six on goal difference with two games to go.
Since securing promotion back to the Premier League on 7 April, Burnley’s charge towards the Championship title stuttered.
They came into the game off the back of two draws and a shock 2-1 defeat by QPR in their last outing, which ended their undefeated record at Turf Moor.
It had looked like nerves might be getting the better of Vincent Kompany’s side, who produced no shots on target during a cagey first 45 minutes where both teams struggled in the final third.
Blackburn ended the first half in the ascendancy despite lacking a clinical edge, with Tyrhys Dolan sending a tame shot at Ari Muric and Hyam also seeing a volley from a corner comfortably saved.
Szmodics had a chance to snatch the lead for Rovers shortly after the break, flicking the ball on from close range, but Muric was again able to deal with it.
Kompany started to ring the changes just before the hour mark and it proved worthwhile, with Benson finding the net out of nothing eight minutes after coming on as a substitute.
The Belgian bounded down the right as Burnley broke into Rovers’ half, shifting on to his left foot and launching a shot from distance past Aynsley Pears into the far corner.
Szmodics came close to an equaliser deep in stoppage time, sending the ball across the face of goal and almost beyond Muric, but a quick bit of Burnley defending turned the ball behind for a corner.
