Brighton & Hove Albion extended their unbeaten start to the season to 17 matches this afternoon courtesy of a 1-1 draw with promotion rivals Burnley at Turf Moor.
All of the action arrived in the opening four minutes, with Bobby Zamora giving the visitors the lead just 57 seconds into the game after Tomer Hemed had hit the crossbar.
Burnley would not have to wait long for a response, however, as Lewis Dunk was penalised for a shirt tug on Michael Keane in the area to hand them a penalty just 48 seconds after the restart, which Andre Gray duly dispatched.
Find out how all of the action unfolded courtesy of Sports Mole's live minute-by-minute coverage below.
12.45pmGood afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for Sunday's solitary Championship match, and it is a top-five clash between Burnley and unbeaten Brighton & Hove Albion at Turf Moor. Whoever wins today will end the weekend in the automatic promotion places, so there is plenty to play for here and we should be in for an intriguing match between two sides very much in form. Before we go any further, though, let's take a look at the team news...
12.47pmBURNLEY STARTING XI: Heaton; Darikwa, Duff, Keane, Mee; Boyd, Jones, Barton, Arfield; Hennings, Gray
12.47pmBURNLEY SUBS: Gilks, Ward, Kightly, Taylor, Lowton, Long, Marney
12.49pmBRIGHTON STARTING XI: Stockdale; Bruno, Dunk, Greer, Rosenior; March, Kayal, Stephens, Murphy; Zamora, Hemed
12,49pmBRIGHTON SUBS: Maenpaa, Chicksen, Goldson, Holla, Forster-Caskey, Manu, Akindayini
12.51pmWhat can we make of those two sides, then? Well, Burnley's run of naming the same starting XI for four consecutive games comes to an end, with Sam Vokes left out of the squad entirely despite Sean Dyche hinting that he could be fit after suffering a groin injury before the international break. That means that Hennings partners the in-form Andre Gray up front, with the latter having scored seven goals in just five league appearances at Turf Moor and braces in each of his last three. Aside from, that it is the same team as normal, with Taylor - who has a league-high three goals off the bench this season - once again amongst the substitutes.
12.53pmAs for Brighton, they have made two changes to the team that beat MK Dons last time out, including the welcome return of skipper Greer at the heart of the defence. He has bee absent for a month due to a knee injury, but is not fit enough and goes straight back into the starting lineup. Further forward it is an enforced change for Chris Hughton as Bobby Zamora starts in place of the injured Baldock. His partner up top will be Hemed, who remains the club's top scorer this season with five goals, despite not scoring in his last eight Championship games.
12.55pmBurnley will come into this match full of confidence having recovered from a slow start to their first season back in the second tier following relegation. They picked up just two points from their first three games, but are now on a seven-match unbeaten streak that includes five victories and 17 points from the last 21 available. Their last defeat came back in September when Reading triumphed 2-1, which remains their only loss in their last 13 outings.
12.57pmThat Reading defeat did come here at Turf Moor, but on the whole they have been in good form on home soil this season. They have lost just one of their last eight outings in front of their own fans, dropping only five points along the way. They have won each of their last three and six of their last seven here, helped largely by that fantastic form of Andre Gray, who seems to be unstoppable when playing at Turf Moor at the moment.
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12.59pmDespite the form of Gray, Burnley's attacking record will be of minor concern to Sean Dyche, although even when they got promoted they were far from the league's highest scorers. They have managed 23 goals in 16 outings this term which, while not being a dreadful total, is still one of the worst in the top half of the table, Indeed, only today's opponents and Cardiff have found the back of the net on fewer occasions out of teams in the top half.
1.01pmThey were held to a goalless draw by Wolves before the international break which, considering the form Wolves were in going into that match, would have been a fairly disappointing result for the Clarets. Their hosts at Molineux had only won one of five ahead of their meeting, but Burnley could not find a way through. Even so, a couple of results went their way yesterday, with Birmingham and Hull both dropping points, so victory today would take them into the top two and level on points with leaders Hull.
1.03pmBrighton, meanwhile, would move two points clear if they are able to get a victory today, and they will be desperate to capitalise on Hull's draw against Bristol City yesterday. A point themselves this afternoon would take them back level with the Tigers, but with only three points separating the top five as things stand, any victory over a team around them in the table will be hugely important.
1.05pmThe Seagulls have been something of a surprise package in the Championship this season, and after 16 games they are still unbeaten - the only team in the top five tiers of English football to be able to say that. A win or a draw today would see them level the second-longest unbeaten start to a Championship season ever, with Wigan Athletic having also gone 17 games in 2004-05. Including the final game of last season, their unbeaten run in the league now stretches to 17, while in all competitions it is 12 since their League Cup defeat to Walsall in August.
1.07pmIt hasn't all been perfect in that time, and Hughton will certainly want to turn some of the draws his side are getting into wins, but for a side that finished 20th last season to have occupied a spot in the top two since mid-August is an impressive achievement. They do have some tricky fixtures coming up, however, with four of the current top six to come in their next six outings including today. If they are still in the top two, and especially if they are still unbeaten after that then they can be taken very seriously as promotion contenders.
1.09pmThey have only won one of their last four games, with that coming in a 2-1 victory over MK Dons last time out, and there have been more draws than wins away from home too. They are unbeaten in their last nine matches on the road including one game from last season, but six of those have resulted in the spoils being shared. They have also only won one of their last five away games, but still only three teams have amassed more points on their travels than the Seagulls this season. Defensively they have been very sound, with only two teams conceding fewer, but on the flip side only Cardiff have scored fewer in the top half.
1.10pmPREDICTION: We're nearing kickoff at Turf Moor, which means that it is time for a prediction! Both of these sides are in good form, and it is a tough one to call today. Brighton have established themselves as a team who are very hard to beat, but I wouldn't be too surprised to see Burnley end their unbeaten start to the campaign today. That said, a draw does appear the most likely result all things considered, so I'm going to opt for a 1-1.
1.12pmBrighton have the edge when it comes to recent history between these two sides. They are unbeaten in the last four meetings, winning three of those and drawing one. Indeed, Burnley have not even scored past Brighton in their last three clashes, while here at Turf Moor the Clarets have only won one of the last six, drawing three and losing two.
1.14pmThe overall head to head is very even, though, with Brighton just edging it with 10 wins to Burnley's nine and eight draws. The most recent meeting came in January of 2014 during Burnley's promotion campaign, but they could only manage a goalless draw on that occasion. Let's hope for a more entertaining showdown today!
1.16pmBefore kickoff, there will be a minute's silence in memory of those who lost their lives in the Paris terrorist attacks last Friday. It is impeccably observed at Turf Moor.
1 minKICKOFF: Here we go then! Burnley get us underway at Turf Moor as they look to move into the top two and become the first team to beat Brighton in the league this season in the process.
1 minGOAL! Burnley 0-1 Brighton (Bobby Zamora)
1 minOh my word, what an incredible start for Brighton! They immediately get on the front foot and come forward down the right, with the ball being pulled back into the area. The initial shot is blocked and falls to Hemed, who hits a volley on the turn into the ground, It bounces up and onto the crossbar, and Zamora reacts quickest to the loose ball to stab it home past Darikwa into the empty net. What a start!
3 minPENALTY TO BURNLEY!
4 minGOAL! Burnley 1-1 Brighton (Andre Gray)
4 minWhat a way to respond, and what a start to this match we have seen! Burnley are awarded a penalty with their first attack as Dunk is penalised for a shirt tug on Keane as a corner arrived in the area. It is a little harsh as both players seemed to be fouling each other in the sort of tussle that takes place all the time in the area from set pieces. Simon Hooper points to the spot, though, and Gray confidently strokes the ball into the roof of the net.
6 minI was actually considering a 0-0 prediction for this match, but that would have gone out of the window after just 57 seconds with Zamora's opener. Both sides have been decent defensively and lacking goals compared to the teams around them in the table this season, but they have made a lightning quick start to this game. Incredible.
7 minSAVE! Brighton come forward again here as Bruno slips a pass to March, who cuts back on himself before going for goal. A deflection takes most of the sting out of the shot, though, and it is simple for Heaton.
8 minSAVE! It's Burnley's turn to come forward as this game continues to swing both ways. The hosts win a free kick around 30 yards from goal and the ball is teed up for Boyd to drill an effort towards goal. He gets it all the way through and Stockdale makes the save, but it isn't the most convincing stop and he needs a defender to complete the process by putting it behind for a corner.
10 minJust going back to that Burnley penalty, which came just 48 seconds after the restart following Zamora's goal - Dunk was certainly pulled the shirt of Keane, and it was very clear to see. However, the controversy surrounds whether Keane actually fouled Dunk before that, as the replays appeared to show a tug of the arm that could have also been penalised. The visitors have a right to feel aggrieved about it.
12 minHalf-chances at both ends as first Burnley press really well to win the ball back inside the Brighton half, only for Gray's through-ball to be just too far in front of Boyd. Moments later Hemed lets fly from range, but his strike goes well over the crossbar.
14 minDarikwa wins his side a free kick in a very good crossing position, and Jones whips a tempting delivery into the middle. Had any Burnley player attacked the front post then it would have been a very good chance, but as it is it lands straight into the arms of the keeper.
16 minThe match has settled down somewhat since that incredible start that saw two goals in the opening four minutes, but both sides are still playing with good intent when they get the ball. It certainly isn't the tight stalemate some may have been expecting.
18 minBrighton have enjoyed 60% possession in this opening 20 minutes or so, but it is fairly even at the moment. Neither side are dominating by any means, and both look capable of causing problems when they come forward.
20 minCHANCE! Big chance for Burnley to take the lead! The ball is poked through to Boyd down the right channel and he fires a fine cross in to the middle for Hennings to attack. He beats Greer to the ball to nudge it goalwards, but Stockdale makes himself big and manages to shrug it over the top. Good reaction stop from the visiting keeper.
22 minCHANCE! A chance at the other end as this time Brighton come forward down the right. The cross arrives in the area and Zamora gets his head to it, but it isn't the easiest chance and he can't get enough power on it to truly trouble Heaton, who makes a simple stop.
24 minA couple of shooting chances for the visitors, but both are blocked by Burnley. Zamora created the chance with a good knockdown, but both Hemed and Murphy are denied by the Burnley defenders, with the latter winning a corner for his side.
25 minAnother opening for Murphy, and again it is a knockdown that creates the chance. This time it is Hemed to flicks it on for Murphy bursting into the box, but after controlling the ball he completely misses it when looking to shoot.
27 minIt is Brighton who are just about on top at the moment, seeing more of the ball, although much of it is coming in areas not too threatening to the hosts. The Seagulls are mixing up their attacks quite well, though, switching between long balls forward and playing through the midfield to keep Burnley guessing.
29 minA reminder that, as things stand, Brighton would be staying second in the table but would move level on points with leaders Hull. Burnley, meanwhile would still be in fifth themselves, but would close the gap on the leaders to two points.
31 minWe're half an hour into this match now and it remains an even contest at the moment. Every time one team seems to come up with something - be that a shot, a chance or even the goals - the other seems to respond in kind moments later.
33 minHeaton gets down to make a save form Hemed, but the whistle had already gone for offside. He and Zamora are winning their fair share of aerial battles, though, and the link-up play between the two is encouraging for the Seagulls.
35 minGood play from Boyd down the right, and it isn't the first time today that he has enjoyed success down the flank. He again finds space to cross, but this time Greer is able to deal with the danger.
37 minBruno might be nearing a yellow card if he makes another poor challenge here. He has made a couple already and Dyche is having a word with the fourth official, presumably to ask why he wasn't cautioned for his latest foul on Arfield.
38 minCHANCE! Brilliant defending from Greer to snuff out a good chance for Burnley! Boyd is again the architect, this time drifting inside and carrying the ball forward. Gray's movement buys him space from Greer and he is found by Boyd, but the Brighton skipper recovers to make a vital block on Gray's shot.
40 minA slightly nervous moment for Burnley at the back as they fail to clear their lines from a corner. The ball bounces about in the area for a while and Stephens is setting himself for a volley, but Barton gets his foot in to finally deal with the danger.
42 minBrighton are working so hard off the ball to limit Burnley's chances here. The hosts are looking to build their attacks, but there is often nowhere for the defenders to go other than side to side.
44 minCHANCE! Another decent sight of goal for the visitors, and again it comes via the aerial route. Bruno whips a good ball into the box from deep and Zamora comfortably wins it in the air, brushing off his marker. However, he can't keep his header down and the effort flies a few yards over the top.
45+1 minThere will be a minimum of one minute added time at the end of this first half.
45+1 minHALF TIME: Burnley 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
2.10pmSimon Hooper brings an end to the first half here at Turf Moor, then, and it is all square at 1-1 between Burnley and Brighton & Hove Albion. The match has settled since such a frantic start, with both goals coming the first four minutes, but there have still been chances at both ends to add to that score. It has been largely even on the whole, but Brighton have perhaps just about edged that opening 45 minutes.
2.12pmThe game was just 57 seconds old when Brighton broke the deadlock through Bobby Zamora, who stabbed it home from close range past Darikwa on the line. Both sides have had joy down the right, and that is where the opener came from for the visitors. Hemed's initial effort bounced up and against the crossbar, but Zamora was quick off the mark to poke it over the line.
2.14pmJust 48 seconds after the restart, however, Burnley were gifted a golden chance to level things up straight away when Dunk was penalised for a shirt tug on Keane inside the box. You do see a lot of those incidents being ignored from set pieces, but it was clear that Keane's shirt was being pulled by the Brighton defender, so you can see why the referee gave it. The many controversy came with an apparent tug on the arm of DUnk by Keane moments earl, though, so either player could have been penalised.
2.16pmThe penalty duties went to in-form Andre Gray, and he made no mistake from 12 yards to level the scores, although it was at a fairly nice height for the keeper to have saved it. The best chance aside from the goals also fell to Burnley when Boyd whipped a good ball into the box for Hennings, whose poked effort was turned over by a good reaction stop from Stockdale.
2.18pmBoyd has probably been Burnley's most dangerous player so far, and he came close himself in the eighth minute when a low long-range strike from a free kick brought an unconvincing save from Stockdale. The Brighton keeper looked as though he was trying to shovel the ball behind for a corner, but it almost squirmed underneath his hands and he needed his defender to finish the job in the end.
2.20pmBrighton have had chances of their own, though, with most of those coming via the aerial route. Zamora and Hemed have won their fair share of headers, and the former has twice gone for goal inside the box having beaten his man in the air. Neither have been particularly difficult for Heaton to deal with, though.
46 minKICKOFF: Brighton get us back underway for this second half as they look to move two points clear at the top of the Championship table.
47 minBurnley look to get the second half off to a similarly quick start as the ball is played in to Hennings, whose header releases Boyd into a good position. He has two teammates ahead of him but opts to go for goal himself, only to fire a poor effort well off target.
49 minBurnley have certainly made the brighter start to this second half. They have been on the front foot since the restart, with Brighton struggling to get out of their own half in these opening exchanges.
51 minBurnley are really trying to keep the tempo of this match up. They are putting pressure on Brighton when the visitors have the ball and playing at a good pace when they are in possession themselves, most notably with Gray taking a free kick in a good position quickly.
54 minYELLOW CARD! The first card of the afternoon is shown to March for a lazy trip on Mee. Having already been given a final warning, he can have no real complaints with that decision.
56 minBurnley have been unable to keep up the tempo that they started the second half with, but Brighton themselves aren't offering too much right now. The ball was sticking up front in the first half, but that hasn't happened since the break.
58 minGood spell of possession from Brighton, which has helped to quell that momentum Burnley built at the start of the second half. The visitors are largely controlling the tempo of the game now, as they did before the interval.
60 minI wouldn't be too surprised to see Zamora withdrawn soon. He hasn't played longer than an hour in any match so far this season and he is beginning to look a little bit tired right now.
61 minBURNLEY SUB: The first change of the match does come, but it is Burnley who make it as Chris Long replaces Hennings.
63 minVery nearly a great chance for Brighton to hit Burnley on the break! Zamora lays the ball off for Kayal, who in turn plays the veteran forward through down the left. He may be tired, but he gets to the ball before beating Darikwa and floating a cross into the box when he might have gone for goal himself. March attacks the ball at the back post, but is a matter of inches from connecting with it.
65 minBRIGHTON SUB: That proves to be Zamora's last action as the striker is replaced by Jake Forster-Caskey.
66 minSHOT! Good play from Hemed to force a corner. After some patient build-up play the ball is zipped in to the striker, who controls it well and turns on the edge of the box, only to see his shot deflected wide for a corner.
68 minAnother shooting chance for Brighton, but the less said about it the better. The ball arrives to Kayal a good 30 yards from goal and he can't resist the crowd's urges to shoot. His effort is a long way high and wide of the target, though.
70 minJust 20 minutes remain here and this match could still go either way. Brighton have done a decent job of keeping the ball better as the second half has worn on, but they haven't really troubled Heaton in the Burnley goal since the interval.
72 minYELLOW CARD! Ben Mee is the second name in the referee's notebook today for a foul on Greer.
73 minCLOSE! Arfield is close to a stunning strike to put his side ahead. His initial flick found Boyd rather fortuitously, but then Boyd turned it back into Arfield's path. The subsequent shot looks like flying into the top corner, but it is always bending away and ends up a yard or so past the post.
75 minBrighton have enjoyed 75% of the ball in the last 10 minutes, since they brought another man into midfield in place of Zamora. As previously mentioned, though, their threats to the Burnley goal have been few and far between and the hosts look just as likely to score right now.
77 minBrighton have the chance to break forward, but Burnley are very quick to get back. March picks the ball up on the right and makes his way all the way across the pitch, always look for space to shoot, before eventually losing his footing and the ball. Quite a few Brighton players have slipped over today.
78 minBarton feeds the ball in to Gray, who tries a clever flick round the corner for Arfield. There is just too much on it, however, and it runs through to the keeper.
80 minWe're into the final 10 minutes at Turf Moor and still we're level after those two early goals. In truth, a draw is looking like the most likely result right now, which would of course be enough to maintain Brighton's unbeaten start to the season.
82 minCHANCE! What a chance for Burnley to get what could well have been the winner! A long ball over the top finds Gray down the right after a Rosenior stumble gave the striker space. His cut-back into the box eludes one teammate but runs all the way through to Arfield coming on to it. He simply has to steer it home, but instead puts a low effort narrowly wide of the far post when he really should have scored.
84 minBRIGHTON SUB: Another change for the Seagulls as Hemed is replaced by Elvis Manu.
85 minYELLOW CARD! Greer goes into the book, but he won't mind much after what was a good foul for his side. Gray received the ball to his feet and flicked it over the defender but, before being able to spin in behind, he is brought down.
86 minThe resulting free kick is floated into the middle by Barton and flicked on by Mee, but the ball skims just beyond the reach of Keane at the back post.
89 minYELLOW CARD! Grau gets the other Brighton centre-back in the book with some more fine play, holding Dunk off before spinning past him and drawing a foul that is worthy of a yellow card all day long.
90 minCHANCE! Well, Burnley have had a couple of chances to win this game in the second half, and another goes begging here. Darikwa is the architect down the right with some good wing play before swinging a cross into the middle that Gray is only able to knock down into a dangerous area. Long is alert, but pokes his effort wide from close range. It was not an easy one to score, though.
90+1 minWe are into the first of three added minutes at Turf Moor.
90+3 minFULL TIME: Burnley 1-1 Brighton & Hove Albion
3.11pmIt ends honours even at Turf Moor, then, which sees Brighton extend their unbeaten start to the season to 17 matches and move level on points with Hull City at the top of the table. Burnley themselves edge closer to top spot in terms of points, with two now the gap to the Tigers and Brighton, but they remain in fifth, level on points with the two teams above them in the table. The hosts had the better chances in that second half, but there were no shots on target after the break which goes some way to explaining why neither side could win.
3.13pmBoth goals came in the opening four minutes, with Bobby Zamora breaking the deadlock after just 57 seconds when he poked home from close range after Tomer Hemed had hit the crossbar. Burnley were awarded a controversial penalty just 48 seconds after the restart, however, as Dunk was penalised for a shirt tug on Keane. Andre Gray stepped up to the spot kick and put it beyond Stockdale to level things up.
3.15pmThat is all we have time for this afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's top-of-the-table Championship clash between Burnley and Brighton, with the spoils being shared at Turf Moor. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction from both camps. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
