Burnley moved to the cusp of an immediate return to the Premier League with a 2-1 comeback victory over nine-man Watford at Vicarage Road that was decided in the space of 11 chaotic second-half minutes.
Josh Brownhill’s 14th goal of the Championship season had given the visitors the lead before Watford imploded with midfielders Moussa Sissoko and Edo Kayembe sent off within nine minutes of each other, both for collecting two yellow cards.
Burnley equalled a club record of 30 league games without defeat and Scott Parker’s men know that victory over Sheffield United at Turf Moor on Monday will secure them automatic promotion.
The visitors had entered the game with another record in their sights, hoping to equal Port Vale’s all-time English league record of record of 30 clean sheets set in the 1953-54 season.
That ambition was thwarted in the eighth minute when Rocco Vata sent in a curling cross that was headed home by Mamadou Doumbia in spite of James Trafford’s sprawling effort to keep it out.
The goal kindled a challenge for Watford to become the first side to score two goals against Burnley in a single game this season.
They should have done so in the 23rd minute when Caleb Wiley drove forward and picked out Kayembe with an inviting cross which the midfielder headed wastefully over the bar.
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Burnley captain Josh Brownhill put the finishing touches on a well worked goal to give his team the lead at Watford.
A cagey game exploded into life in the final five minutes before the interval.
First, Marcus Edwards cut inside from the Burnley right and struck a shot on the run that was creeping in at the near post until Egil Selvik plunged to his left to hold it.
If Kayembe had wasted his earlier header, he was desperately unlucky not to increase the home side’s lead after 42 minutes with a rasping, rising drive that shook the Burnley crossbar.
Within 30 seconds Burnley had equalised. A raking CJ Egan-Riley pass to the wing found Jaidon Anthony whose pinpoint cross was headed downwards and in at the near post by Zian Flemming.
The game had been ignited into a free-for-all and Anthony saw a curling effort beaten away by Selvik before Kayembe had another opportunity at the other end.
On this occasion the midfielder tried to place his left-foot shot into the bottom corner only for Trafford to make a superb save.
If the second period began slowly, it erupted in an 11-minute spell around the hour.
Intricate interplay between Edwards and Anthony paved the way for Connor Roberts to float a cross to the far post where Mejbri’s mistimed cross-shot bounced up perfectly for Brownhill to head home.
Burnley’s advantage on the scoreboard was mirrored numerically as the teams lined up for the kick-off.
Flemming gave Sissoko a short push, but nothing that could excuse the Watford captain from putting both hands on the Burnley player’s chest and pushing him forcefully to the ground.
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Moussa Sissoko saw red from kick-off after shoving Zian Flemming to the floor.
A first yellow card to Sissoko was immediately followed by a second one for dissent.
Kayembe became the second Watford player to receive his marching orders in the space of nine minutes when he clattered into the back of Lucas Pires having been cautioned just three minutes earlier for a foul on Edwards.
With the hosts down to nine men, the contest became increasingly tetchy with the yellow card total rising to 11. Selvik was required to make an astonishing point-blank save to beat away a Brownhill shot before Trafford pushed aside a Ryan Andrews drive in injury time as Watford sought to salvage an unlikely point.
The managers
Watford’s Tom Cleverley:
To follow…
Burnley’s Scott Parker:
To follow…