Burnley supporters did not hide their frustration at the final whistle as their club fell to a 2-0 defeat by Brighton at Turf Moor – a fourth loss in five matches.
But their players showed plenty of spirit and made things extremely difficult for the Seagulls before being ultimately beaten by a clinical display from their opponents.
They had the ball in the net in both halves as Jaidon Anthony and Bashir Humphreys thought they had scored, but lengthy video assistant referee (VAR) reviews were needed to chalk off both strikes by narrow margins.
Dutch striker Zian Flemming, who has been one of the rare bright sparks in an otherwise disappointing campaign for Burnley, was denied an equaliser by a good save from Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen with his legs.
In total, the Clarets attempted 10 shots, with five on target – compared to Brighton's six on target from 13 attempts.
Now with only one win in their last 23 league matches and 12 points from safety after West Ham’s 4-0 win against bottom club Wolves on Friday, the Clarets face a daunting challenge to avoid an immediate return to the second tier.
The only hope of a miraculous escape is the fact they play three sides in the bottom six – Nottingham Forest, Leeds and Wolves – in the run-in.
