Burnley Vs Brentford: burnley vs brentford ends 4-3 after stoppage-time winner and VAR drama

burnley vs brentford produced one of the Premier League’s most chaotic finishes as Mikkel Damsgaard’s injury‑time strike completed a 4-3 victory for Brentford at Turf Moor, with two late Burnley goals ruled out after lengthy VAR checks.

First half: Brentford storm ahead

Brentford moved into a commanding position inside 34 minutes as Mikkel Damsgaard opened the scoring, Igor Thiago added a second and Kevin Schade bundled home to make it 3-0. The visitors looked set for a comfortable win before Michael Kayode diverted a driven cross from Jaidon Anthony into his own net in the dying seconds of the first half, giving Burnley hope heading into the break.

Burnley fightback and disallowed goals

Less than two minutes after the restart Kayode was involved again, this time deflecting another Jaidon Anthony effort past Brentford goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson to narrow the deficit further. Zian Flemming restored parity in the 60th minute when he powered a header past Valdimarsson from a cross. The Clarets then thought they had taken the lead again when Flemming bundled home in the 78th minute, but that effort was ruled out by VAR for offside after an intervention that disallowed the goal.

Stoppage-time swing and VAR controversy

Mikkel Damsgaard ultimately decided the match with a stoppage-time winner, a 93rd‑minute or three minutes into injury time strike from a Rico Henry cross that put Brentford 4-3 up. The final sequence featured further drama as Ashley Barnes fired what looked like an equaliser deep into stoppage time—timings in coverage vary, described as an eighth minute of added time, the 98th minute and the 99th minute—but the goal was ruled out after a lengthy VAR review for an accidental handball in the build-up.

VAR decisions and match officials

The late disallowances drew intense scrutiny. VAR Paul Tierney adjudged Ashley Barnes’ leveller to be handled and overturned the goal without sending referee Samuel Barrott to the pitchside monitor, a decision that provoked debate among pundits Mike Dean and Kris Boyd who felt video replays were inconclusive and that the goal should have stood. Scott Parker, Burnley’s head coach, reacted in his post‑match press conference saying: “I don't want to say too much because I might be wrong but it looks so, so harsh. ”

Managers and reactions

Scott Parker described the aftermath as “Maybe a little bit of injustice. I’ve not watched it back. I saw it on the big screen and I was thinking it looks like his hand is beside his side. It looks so, so harsh. ” He added: “We’ve gone and scored five goals in the space of 60 minutes, which is quite incredible. The world we’re in, we’re all looking for perfection. The game is looking for perfection. ” Parker also reflected on the crowd, saying: “Walking in from half-time, it wasn’t nice... The fans were brilliant in the second half, but that was down to us. I understand the frustration of course, we’re all frustrated at 3-0 down. There’s one thing our supporters can see leaving here, and you can be critical in certain moments, but the one thing you can’t be critical of is this group and what this shirt means, what playing for this team means and what we stand for. I hope the fans can see that. ”

Brentford’s manager Keith Andrews, who signed a new long-term deal this week, said he would not have been happy had the VAR decisions gone against his side but felt they were ultimately correct. On his team’s performance he said: “The first half we were very good, played with a lot of conviction, we attacked with real speed and venom and belief. The own goal just changed it a little bit and I knew we’d have to start the second half really well. I thought they’d make changes, they did, changed the system a little bit, and we didn’t deal with that particularly well. This was never going to be an easy game. If I’d been asked [beforehand] if I would accept a 4-3 victory, I would have taken it. It’s come in very crazy circumstances. ” A brief Damsgaard comment in match coverage read: 'He cares so much about this team' — Damsgaard on Andrews.

Table implications and context

With the victory Keith Andrews’ side strengthened their push for European football and sit seventh in the table with 43 points — only two less than Chelsea above them and five behind fifth‑placed Liverpool — while Burnley remain 19th with 19 points. The home supporters had voiced hostility during a poor first half, with loud boos and chants directed at Scott Parker and Burnley owner Alan Pace; Burnley have not won at home in the league since October, a run that has increased frustration around the club.

Match ratings circulated after the game listed Burnley: Dubravka, Humphreys, Worrall, Esteve, Laurent, Ward‑Prowse, Hannibal, Pires, Bruun Larsen, Anthony, Flemming. Burnley subs included Ugochukwu, Foster, Florentino, Tchaouna and Barnes (n/a). Brentford ratings listed Valdimarsson, Kayode, Ajer, Van den Berg, Henry, Jensen, Yarmoliuk, Ouattara, Damsgaard, Schade and Thiago, with subs Lewis‑Potter, Donovan and Henderson. Player of the Match was Mikkel Damsgaard.

The full sequence of events at Turf Moor saw Brentford lead 3-0 inside 34 minutes through goals from Damsgaard, Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade; Burnley pulled two back a Michael Kayode own goal from a Jaidon Anthony cross in first-half stoppage time and a Kayode deflection from an early second-half Anthony attempt; Zian Flemming then levelled with a 60th-minute header; Flemming had a later finish ruled out for offside; Damsgaard scored the stoppage‑time winner from a Rico Henry cross; and Ashley Barnes had a very late equaliser overturned for handball after a lengthy VAR check.

Turf Moor bore witness to a seven‑goal thriller that combined a remarkable Burnley resurgence with late-game VAR intervention and a stoppage-time winner that ultimately denied the hosts a point.