10 April 2023 , 21:56
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Burnley have moved 14 points clear at the top of the Championship after beating Sheffield United 2-0 at Turf Moor on Monday night.
Wes Foderingham's first-half red card allowed Vincent Kompany's side to capitalise, as Johann Berg Gudmundsson scored an emphatic brace after the interval. It was Burnley's first game since their promotion to the Premier League was confirmed three days ago.
Burnley could've relaxed after securing their return to the big time with a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough, but Kompany did not let his players rest on their laurels. He wants to win every single point between now and the summer, a trait Pep Guardiola is renowned for.
Kompany was Guardiola's captain when Manchester City became the first team in Premier League history to secure 100 points five years ago. Burnley will end up with 98 points if they win their final six Championship games, something Kompany is determined to do.
The Burnley boss was frustrated with his team's failure to capitalise on Foderingham's early red card and brought off Jack Cork and Lyle Foster at half-time. On came Manuel Benson and Gudmundsson, with the latter scoring twice to secure a comfortable win.
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The fact Kompany was willing to hook two players speaks volumes of his desire to win every point. Speaking to Mirror Football before Burnley's promotion was confirmed, former Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam provided some insight into Kompany's mentality.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson came off the bench to fire Burnley to victory (Getty Images)What did you make of Burnley's performance on Monday night? Let us know in the comments below!
Adam is now a coach at Burnley. He said, "It’s about one game at a time still. People will jump to conclusions... but the manager will keep drilling into these players that they can’t rest. There are nine games to go, he’ll want nine victories. That’s how he thinks... he’ll want to stamp his authority on the Championship.
"There’s no talk of promotion in that training ground. They are just taking each game as it comes and enjoying winning football matches... the manager has got belief in this group of players and the way they’ve been playing is unbelievable."
Kompany's desire to "stamp his authority on the Championship" was evident against Sheffield United. After all, the Blades are second and should achieve automatic promotion alongside Burnley. They are five points clear of Luton in third with a game in hand.
Paul Heckingbottom's side also hammered Burnley 5-2 in the reserve fixture at Bramall Lane in November to end their unbeaten 16-game league run. Kompany wanted his players to get their revenge on the Championship's other outstanding side.
Kompany, who celebrated his 37th birthday on Monday, told reporters at full-time, "I couldn't have hoped for better, six points against the two best teams in the league. "I think it would have been difficult for these results to affect anything we'd done this season, but in the end this game was a little bit special for us with what happened away."
Heckingbottom, meanwhile, said, "Fair play, Burnley have won and the fans will go home happy. We know why we've lost it, it's our fault."