Friday evening’s Championship fixture between Scott Parker’s Burnley and Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough proved to be a real eye-opener for clubs at the top end of the table, but what did each team learn from the game itself?
Burnley went into Friday’s clash being one of the best defensive sides in the Championship having only conceded six goals all season and not conceding at Turf Moor since September.
Meanwhile, Middlesbrough were in high-scoring form having scored 18 goals in five games, heading into a difficult away trip against a side they’ll likely be competing against towards the end of the 2024/25 campaign.
As the final whistle blew, however, the match ended with the points shared at 1-1. Following a smart pass from Dan Barlaser, Anfernee Dijksteel was on hand to lift the ball over James Trafford to make it 1-0.
Burnley responded within 25 minutes through a superb strike from Welsh international Connor Roberts.
What were some things one could take away from this high-stakes encounter?
A fortunate point for Burnley?
Burnley were once again stout defensively for the vast majority of this match. However, they can feel fortunate to have come away with a point.
Despite the Connor Roberts wonder strike right before halftime and all the created chances, Burnley rarely felt like they truly threatened the Middlesbrough goal.
Most of the Burnley shots were from a distance or ones that were not exactly clear-cut. This surely is something Burnley will want to address in the upcoming transfer window.
Are Middlesbrough promotion contenders?
As disappointing as it was to not come out with all three points, Middlesbrough showed that they can play with the big boys in the Championship.
Despite not playing their best game for spells, Middlesbrough came ready to give Burnley a game, and that is exactly what happened.
Middlesbrough showed they could play Burnley’s style of game when it was clear that their game plan would not always work.
Michael Carrick’s side were still able to be threatening and create chances, they just couldn’t find the one chance that would win them the match, and that is disappointing.
Burnley’s defence prevails again
Despite conceding the first goal scored at Turf Moor since early September, Burnley showed they have a title-quality defence.
There were instances where they were caught out by some brilliant Middlesbrough play, but, for the most part, the Burnley defence was up to the challenge.
It was a feisty, physical match that suited Burnley’s style of play, but the early goal allowed Burnley to show their resilience and tenacity which bodes well for the rest of the season.
A positive return from a tough run of games
Going into what is a busy part of the year, Middlesbrough were faced with two incredibly tough challenges in Burnley and Leeds United.
While it was not the result Middlesbrough ultimately wanted, they can be encouraged that they were able to compete and ask some questions of an excellent Burnley side.
Boro made one change to the side that dispatched Hull City, and for the most part, this match showed the quality of depth that Michael Carrick has built in his club.
With players coming back from injury, Carrick utilized that in this match. While it wasn’t perfect by any means, Carrick can be pleased that, overall, the return of Seny Dieng went well despite allowing the equalizer, and he proved Carrick’s faith in him was not misplaced.
Overall, this was a showcase of two teams who came out of this match feeling as even as the two sides were coming into it.
Could this be, perhaps, an early playoff preview?