Burnley 2-1 West Brom - Report

Carlos Corberan's in-form Albion looked like causing a shock at the Championship's summit and led for 68 minutes following Darnell Furlong's early opener.

But Vincent Kompany's hosts made it 14 wins from 16 to maintain their place at the top with a gut-wrenching late double through Nathan Tella and substitut Scott Twine's fine 87th-minute free-kick winner.

For Albion for so long it looked like 10 league wins in 11. Burnley are yet to lose at Turf Moor this season and last night looked like possibly the first time they would be denied a home goal this term.

It was not to be for the Baggies and Burnley deserved their late win. Albion dropped deeper and deeper and, after defending heroically, succumbed late on as the pressure took its toll with the visitors - up to third for large parts - forced to remain in sixth.

Corberan made just the one, expected, change from the previous league outing - the memorable comeback success at Luton.

Matt Phillips missed out through the quad muscle injury sustained late on from the bench against Chesterfield in the FA Cup in midweek and in his place came Grady Diangana.

Albion also welcomed Karlan Grant back to the matchday squad and he provided welcome attacking cover with Brandon Thomas-Asante serving the final of a three-match ban and Phillips absent.

The corner of away fans was stilling filling up at 7.55pm as Baggies fans endured a nightmare journey up the M6 with numerous big delays.

There was more than a hint of a big-game feel in the air around Turf Moor and Corberan's men didn't disappoint from the off.

Kompany made three changes with Nathan Tella, Ashley Barnes and Samuel Bastien back in the side and his troops looked like moving the ball well early on.

But Albion bit back in the near-freezing temperatures. With Diangana on the right, Jed Wallace and John Swift left behind Daryl Dike, the Baggies knitted together a flowing move to find Furlong in the box, from whom the ball was ushered out from a corner.

Swift's delivery met a towering Dike but his header under little pressure cannoned behind off a claret shirt for another corner.

Burnley weren't so lucky next time. Swift's delivery was just as dangerous and this time it was Furlong who attacked, unchecked in the six-yard box, and powered his head down beyond Arijanet Muric.

The hosts tried to respond but were sucker-punched. Dike was a better first touch away from a chance at a clear second before a rampaging Wallace was just denied by retreating defenders.

Approaching 20 minutes the Clarets had the first of a few first-half penalty shouts. There was nothing in the first, on Barnes, but Furlong was fortunate to escape a possible push seconds later.

Home pressure grew on half hour as Alex Palmer was at his best in Albion's goal to keep out via the post Erik Pieters' inadvertent flick towards his own goal.

Albion then thought they had a second as Okay Yokuslu bobbled in Swift's corner from close range but the Turk was judged to have felled keeper Muric.

A few minutes later in a pulsating contest Burnley did have it in Albion's net as Barnes diverted an Ian Maatsen strike high beyond Palmer but was correctly flagged marginally offside.

Barnes was a lick of paint from an equaliser just before stoppage time but his first-time strike cannoned the crossbar.

The final drama of the third half saw an unpopular Jarred Gillett, the Australian Premier League referee, correctly waved away a third penalty appeal as Nathan Tella went down near the booked Furlong.

Burnley re-asserted their dominance after the interval as Albion dropped deep and struggled to get out.

The Clarets kept coming but Corberan's men stood firm with some incredibly resilient defending. Dara O'Shea deflected a Josh Brownhill effort as Albion stood firm.

It was almost one-way traffic against brave Albion but, as the dropped deeper and deeper, the visitors were finally breached.

One winger fed another as Zaroury's fine pass released Tella. The on-loan Southampton flyer raced in and dispatched a perfect low finish past Palmer for 1-1.

Albion had shown little in the second period but almost hit back as the excellent Jayson Molumby was denied low by Muric.

Palmer recovered from a rare slip to save instinctively from ex-Baggie and sub Rodriguez before Charlie Taylor had a strike off the line.

A point, in the context of heavy Burnley traffic would have been welcome, but it wasn't to be.

The Clarets thought they finally had a penalty. Instead a controversial foul - Burnley's attacker appeared to kick the floor - was right on the line.

Up stepped sub Twine to bed a perfect free-kick into the top corner and break Baggie hearts at the death.

Teams

Burnley (4-3-3): Muric; Roberts, Beyer, Taylor, Maatsen; Cullen, Brownhill (c), Bastien (Benson, 63); Tella (Twine, 83), Barnes (Rodriguez, 63), Zaroury.

Subs not used: Peacock-Farrell, Vitinho, Churlinov, Al-Dakhil.

Albion (4-2-3-1): Palmer; Furlong, O'Shea (c), Pieters, Townsend; Molumby (Grant, 88), Yokuslu; Wallace, Swift (Rogic, 67), Diangana (Reach, 83); Dike.

Subs not used: Button, Ajayi, Gardner-Hickman, Livermore.

Referee: Jarred Gillett