Just as they came from the Championship, Burnley will return there! Mathematically not yet, but Vincent Kompany’s team can be considered a Championship side after the debacle (4-1) they suffered in the 36th round of the Premier League against Newcastle at Turf Moor. To make matters worse for the Clarets, Nottingham Forest, one of their rivals, simultaneously seized an opportunity away at Sheffield United (3-1) and widened the gap to five points. It seems like an impossible mission, because even though they host Forest in the last round, Burnley would first have to defeat Tottenham in London and hope that the Tricky Trees don’t even earn a point against Chelsea. It’s a too complicated calculation for a team that has only managed two victories throughout the entirety of 2024.At Turf Moor, everything was already settled after the first half when Eddie Howe’s men had a three-goal advantage. Callum Wilson announced a tough afternoon for the home crowd in the 19th minute, followed by Sean Longstaff and Bruno Guimaraes with quickfire goals just before halftime, which knocked out the hosts. Shortly after the break, Alexander Isak once again found the net past Arijanet Muric, thus avenging himself for the penalty saved three minutes earlier. Towards the end of the match, Kompany’s side managed to soften the blow with a goal from Dara O’Shea, but it will be little consolation for the home team.100 – Sheffield United have become the first side to concede 100 goals in a 38-game English top-flight campaign since Leicester City in 1908-09 (102). Centurions. #SHUNFO— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 4, 2024 While despair reigns at Turf Moor, at the City Ground, they can breathe a sigh of relief after a long time, as Luton is no longer breathing down their necks. Although there’s no doubt that there was discomfort in the Forest camp when Ben Brereton Diaz gave Sheffield United the lead in the 17th minute. The team from Bramall Lane was the better side in the early stages of the match; they could have even doubled their lead through Cameron Archer, but fortunately for Nuno Espirito Santo, the Blades’ striker, who cost over €20,000,000, missed a clear chance and kept the visitors in the game. Then, there was a wake-up call at Forest, and they began to play more boldly, aware that they couldn’t afford to slip up against a long-resigned team on their own turf. And they didn’t. Double scorer Callum Hudson-Odoi wouldn’t allow it. The English winger, who showed much promise when he emerged on the senior scene, equalized the score with a beautiful strike from distance just ten minutes after conceding a goal, and early in the second half, Ryan Yates orchestrated the comeback with his first goal in the Premier League. It’s hard to imagine a better timing. Fifteen minutes later, Hudson-Odoi sealed the victory with another masterpiece, very similar to his first-half effort. It was the 100th goal conceded by Sheffield United in the league. The fact that Chris Wilder’s team’s defense was atrocious is best evidenced by the statistic that no team in Premier League history has conceded a triple-digit number of goals in a single season…PREMIER LEAGUE – MATCHDAY 36Friday Luton – Everton 1-1 (1-1)/Adebayo 31 – Calvert-Lewin 23 pen/Saturday Arsenal – Bournemouth 3-0 (1-0)/Saka 45 pen, Trossard 70, Rice 90+7/Brentford – Fulham 0-0Burnley – Newcastle 1-4 (0-3)/O’Shea 86 – Wilson 19, Longstaff 35, Guimaraes 40, Isak 55/Sheffield Utd – Nott.Forest (1-1)/Diaz 17(p) – Hudson-Odoi 27, 65, Yates 51/19:30: (1.10) Man.City (13.0) Wolverhampton (25.0)Sunday 16:00: (2.85) Brighton (3.50) Aston Villa (2.40)16:00: (1.67) Chelsea (4.00) West Ham (5.00)18:30: (1.50) Liverpool (4.70) Tottenham (6.75)***odds are subject to change***
