Burnley 1-2 Nottingham Forest: Miserable season ends with another defeat as club stalwarts bid goodbye

Former Claret Chris Wood scored both goals for the visitors as Burnley suffered a 13th defeat at Turf Moor out of 19.

Josh Cullen briefly gave the Clarets hope late on when he reduced the arrears, but Vincent Kompany’s men were unable to find a leveller in their final outing of the season.

It was a predictably flat atmosphere at Turf Moor for the club’s 24th defeat of the season after relegation was confirmed the previous week.

It means Burnley end a draining season in 19th place on just 24 points, eight adrift of safety.

It was still an emotional occasion though for Clarets stalwarts Jack Cork and Johann Gudmundsson, who made their final appearances for the club before moving on to pastures new this summer.

Kompany promised he would be taking this game seriously and he stuck to his word, making just one change to his side from last week’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham - the game which confirmed Burnley’s relegation back to the Championship.

Vitinho struggled during that game and has been dropped as a result, with Zeki Amdouni the man to take his place in Burnley’s starting XI.

Jack Cork and Johann Gudmundsson, who both bid farewell to the club at the final whistle, were named among the substitutes.

Ameen Al-Dakhil, Jordan Beyer, Aaron Ramsey, Luca Koleosho and Nathan Redmond all missed out through injury.

As for Forest, they made two changes to the side that lost 3-2 to Chelsea in their last outing, with Harry Toffolo, and Antony Elanga replacing Ola Aina and Moussa Niakhate.

There was a party atmosphere inside Turf Moor in the glorious sunshine, but unfortunately for Burnley all of the noise was coming from the away end.

Just two minutes were on the clock when former Claret Chris Wood - who else? - gave Forest the lead with a simple finish.

The 32-year-old couldn’t miss as he was given a simple tap-in at the back post after Charlie Taylor had given Anthony Elanga too much time and space to get a cross in from the right.

Burnley, to their credit, responded positively, with Josh Cullen drilling just wide after being teed up 20 yards out.

The Clarets were almost gifted an equaliser shortly afterwards when Forest defender Danilo chested the ball back to goalkeeper Matz Sels from only a few yards out. Sels initially fumbled before claiming at the second attempt.

Burnley’s last stand, if it could even be called that, didn’t last long though as Forest soon doubled their lead.

It was that man Wood again, who knew very little about it as Ryan Yates’ low effort ricocheted off him and past Arijanet Muric.

The goal was initially ruled out for offside, but following a VAR check Wood was deemed to be onside by the slimmest of margins.

Burnley could and should have halved the deficit midway through the first-half when Jacob Bruun Larsen pulled the ball back for Zeki Amdouni, who inexplicably failed to hit the target from only eight yards out.

Maxime Esteve then tried his luck with a rising effort from long-range which narrowly missed the top corner by two or three yards.

At the other end, Wood almost completed his hat-trick within half an hour as his outstretched leg came within inches of meeting Morgan Gibbs-White’s teasing free-kick.

Burnley could have made things interesting had they taken their presentable opening at the end of the first-half, when Lyle Foster teed up Wilson Odobert with a clever flick. The Frenchman’s effort looked to be beating Sels but a defender made a vital block to deflect the shot wide.

Trailing by two at half-time, Kompany switched things up by making a double change. Gudmundsson was given one final outing in place of Bruun Larsen, while Vitinho also replaced Lorenz Assignon.

Forest came close to adding a third twice in quick succession at the start of the second-half. First Arijanet Muric got a strong hand to Gibbs-White’s powerful effort before Wood squandered a chance to add his third when he blazed well over on the counter.

While lacking an end product, Odobert continued to retain the biggest threat for the home side - with the winger side footing wide of the upright with an effort from outside the box just after the hour mark.

Midway through the second-half, Muric produced another strong hand to keep out Murillo’s drive from a Forest free-kick.

Eighteen minutes from time, Josh Cullen gave Burnley a lifeline with a deflected goal to give his side some late hope.

Space opened up for the midfielder on the edge of the box, allowing the 26-year-old to produce a low effort on his weaker left foot that took a wicked deflection off a defender to wrongfoot Sels in the Forest goal.

The celebration, somewhat predictably, was fairly muted, but it did give Burnley some impetus for the final stages of the game.

Charlie Taylor, who remains in talks with the club over a new contract, was then brought off to be replaced by Josh Brownhill, while Jay Rodriguez - another that is out of contract this summer - took the place of Amdouni.

Gudmundsson’s face would have lit up when Sander Berge teed him up on the right-hand side of the box and the Iceman applied good contact to his curling effort, but Sels was equal to it.

Burnley’s supporters rose to their feet once again five minutes from time when Kompany handed a final outing to Jack Cork, who was given a touching standing ovation. He was also given the captain’s armband by fellow substitute Josh Brownhill.

While the hosts fought until the end to find a late equaliser to end on some sort of high note, it wasn’t to be.

TEAMS

Burnley: Muric, Assignon (Vitinho), O'Shea, Esteve, Taylor (Brownill), Cullen (Cork), Berge, Bruun Larsen (Gudmundsson), Odobert, Amdouni (Rodriguez), Foster

Subs not used: Trafford, Ekdal, Massengo, Fofana

Forest: Sels, Danilo (Niakhate), Montiel, Boly, Murillo, Toffolo, Yates (Sangare), Elanga (Kouyate), Gibbs-White, Hudson-Odoi (Duarte), Wood (Origi)

Subs not used: Turner, Awoniyi, Reyna, Omobamedile

Referee: Graham Scott