the times | Tuesday October 20 2020 1GM 65
Sport
If ever there was a game to end the
Premier League’s ludicrous goal fest it
was this. Sixty-one matches in English
football’s top tier had passed since two
teams had drawn a blank, with fans at
home treated to a glut of goals and
highlights. Then Burnley arrived at
West Bromwich Albion.
Those who had paid the £14.95 to
tune in on Sky Sports Box Office would
have likely regretted it by the end.
This was a scrappy contest regularly
interrupted by rhythm-breaking fouls
and, given both teams are already
scrambling for points, it was perhaps
unsurprising. This was the first of three
Monday night pay-per-view games for
Burnley’s creative fulcrum was the
impressive Dwight McNeil. The
England Under-21 winger’s trickery
from the left looked to be their only out-
let, so it came as no surprise that Burn-
ley’s best chance of the first half came
from a McNeil free kick.
Kevin Long, playing in central
defence after Phil Bardsley tested
positive for Covid-19, tumbled under a
challenge from Darnell Furlong and
demanded a penalty, but the referee
Anthony Taylor was unmoved. James
Tarkowski flicked on the follow-up and
Ashley Barnes struck first time but Sam
Johnstone flung out a hand.
It was an outstanding stop from theWest Brom goalkeeper, matched in the
second half by counterpart Nick Pope
who frustrated the home side three
times during a frantic defensive effort.West Brom (4-3-3): S Johnstone 8 — D Furlong 7,
B Ivanovic 6, A Hegazi 5, C Townsend 6 —
C Gallagher 6, J Livermore 6, F Krovinovic 6
(R Sawyers 79min)— M Pereira 6 (M Phillips 88),
K Grant 6 (C Robinson 73), G Diangana 6. Subs
not used D Button, K Bartley, S Ajayi, D O’Shea.
Booked Livermore, Phillips.
Burnley (4-4-2): N Pope 7 — E Pieters 6, K Long 7,
J Tarkowski 7, C Taylor 6 — J Gudmundsson 6
(R Brady 69, 6), A Westwood 7, J Brownhill 6,
D McNeil 8 — C Wood 6, A Barnes 6 (J Rodriguez
77). Subs not used W Norris, D Stephens,
M Vydra, J Dunne, A Driscoll-Glennon.
Booked Taylor, Westwood.
Referee A Taylor.TIM KEETON/APThis was a return to
old-school days, so it was fitting to
see the 36-year-old former Chelsea
centre back Branislav Ivanovic making
his debut for West Brom. He was one of
six changes made by Bilic, with
£15 million striker Karlan Grant, 23,
also making his first start since signing
from Huddersfield Town.
West Brom looked the more likely to
score. Filip Krovinovic curled just wide
early on, and Grant’s hesitation pre-
vented him from latching onto a per-
fectly placed pass by Matheus Pereira.
“We created more than enough to
score goals but we have to say they had
three good chances,” Bilic said.Premier League
Tom Roddy
After 221 goals
in 61 matches...
finally another
goalless draw
West Brom, and you were
left wondering whether
fans would be forking
out the fee each week.
“It’s not my money,
it’s their money,” Slaven
Bilic, the West Brom
manager, said. “Football
should be not free but
affordable.”
For West Brom, though, here was
a first clean sheet after conceding 13 in
the league. For Burnley, it was an end to
their losing run.
“A point on the board is important
psychologically,” said Sean Dyche.
Burnley had been in danger of their
worst start to a season in the top flight
since 1927, but Bilic knew better than to
expect Dyche’s team to be a pushover.
Indeed, the visitors should really
have taken all three points back to Turf
Moor and overtaken West Brom in the
table. “We looked more like us,” Dyche
said. “We were solid defensively and
looked like we could score goals.”West Brom
Burnley
0
0
Pope, who impressed for Burnley, goes to ground to keep out a shot from Ivanovic as both sides drew a blank
91
Days since top flight’s last
0-0, between Brighton and
Newcastle, since when
games have had an
average of 3.62
goals