Burnley 1 (Vardy 20) Wolves 2 (Lopez 39, Chirewa 72)
Wolves crucially got back to winning ways with their first victory over Burnley at Turf Moor in 16 years on Friday night.
In a battling effort, full of substance over style, the Old Gold dug deep to come back from goal down against a Burnley side who were beginning to turn a corner after a difficult start to their Championship season.
39-year-old Jamie Vardy opened the scoring in a first-half that could have seen the Clarets out of sight, but a neat finish from Fer Lopez and Tawanda Chirewa’s maiden Wolves goal saw all three points head back to the Black Country.
Peixoto made six changes to the side that slumped to a midweek home defeat to Bolton Wanderers, for what was the third Championship fixture in six days. Adam Armstrong made way for Sean Neave after suffering a back spasm, while Kieran Trippier, Ladislav Krejci, Hugo Bueno, Jordan James and Mateus Mane were rotated for Jackson Tchatchoua, Toti, Ghislain Konan, Marshall Munetsi and Rafiki Said respectively.
The home side dominated a pulsating first half. A misplaced pass from Toti was pounced upon on the halfway line by Largie Ramazani, who drove at speed towards the Wolves box with backpedalling centre-halves in pursuit. The Belgian played a neat ball across the edge of the box – cleverly dummied by Jacob Bruun Larsen - to the feet of Jamie Vardy, who forced Jose Sa into a smart save, low and to his left.
The mounting pressure paid dividends for the hosts with a 20th minute move started by Lucas Pires, who found Bruun Larsen with a low drive through the middle of the park. The Dane took one touch before caressing a through ball to Vardy, who found the back of the net with his first-time strike.
But the Clarets couldn’t capitalise on half an hour of dominance and 11 shots at Sa’s goal, which culminated in Bruun Larsen stinging the palms of the Portuguese with his low, driven long-range effort.
And, five minutes before the break, Wolves equalised with their first shot on target. Said dispossessed Kyle Walker six yards outside the Burnley box, and Sean Neave played the loose ball to Lopez who side-footed it first-time off the post and in, sending the 2,000 travelling fans into raptures and putting Wolves level at the break.
Half-time | Burnley 1-1 Wolves
Wolves were carved open five minutes into the second half when Ramazani cut inside from the right and delivered a pass to the unmarked Bruun Larson, who took a touch before putting his effort over the bar.
A minute later Lopez worked Gregoire Coudert with a clever free-kick. The Spaniard looked set to cross into a packed Burnley box but instead curled a left-footed effort around the wall, which the stopper palmed around his post for a corner kick.
An hour in Wolves nearly capitalised on a flurry of corners. Bellegarde’s first threatened to sneak directly under the upright but was tipped over by Coudert. Lopez played the second short to Bellegarde who found Said 30-yards out, and his effort from distance was parried as far as Tchatchoua who forced another stop with a looping volley.
On 71 minutes Peixoto made a double sub that had an immediate impact. Mateus Mane cut out Igor’s ball in the middle of the park and it landed at the feet of the newly introduced Chirewa. The Old Gold Academy product took his first touch of the game toward the Burnley box and finished emphatically with his second, with the palm of Coudert unable to do any more than deflect it neatly into his own net.
The other substitute Tommy Doyle had a brilliant chance to put a two-goal cushion between the sides five minutes later. Said picked up the ball on the edge of his own box and evaded two challenges from the tiring Clarets, before a cross with the outside of his foot found Doyle 12-yards out. The playmaker brought the ball under control with his first touch, but his snatched effort went frustratingly wide of the upright.
Both sides continued to search for a goal, but in the end it was Chirewa’s instant impact that was enough to ensure Wolves got back to winning ways and kicked-off a satisfying weekend for the Old Gold faithful.
Full-time | Burnley 1-2 Wolves
Burnley | Coudert, Walker, Alleyne (Raghbouber 87), Hatate (Edwards 75), Bruun Larsen (Satpayev 61), Vardy (Broja 61), Ekdal, Ramazani, Pires, Laurent, Igor.
Unused subs | Weiss, Roberts, Hountondji, Sonne, Castell.
Wolves | Sa, Tchatchoua, Djiga, Toti, Konan (Krejci 87), Andre, Munetsi, Lopez (Doyle 71), Bellegarde (Mane 61), Said (Bueno 87), Neave (Chirewa 71).
Unused subs | Virginia, Trippier, Mosquera, James.
