Burnley drew 0-0 for the third-straight game on Saturday, this time against Sunderland at Turf Moor, and have now not scored since their opening match of the season in over seven hours of play.
The Clarets hit the woodwork via Ashley Barnes late on, while Patrick Van Aanholt struck the post for Sunderland as both teams failed to turn up in front of goal.
Sean Dyche’s men are proving hard to beat but you do wonder where the goals will come from for the Clarets, as both teams are yet to win a game this season. Burnley have three points from five games, Sunderland have four.
[RELATED: Watch full match replays]
[VIDEO: Premier League highlights]
Burnley started brightly and Lukas Jutkiewicz forced Vito Mannone into an early save after sustained pressure from the Clarets. At the other end Emanuele Giaccherini curled a powerful effort towards the top corner but Tom Heaton plucked the ball out of the air as both teams felt their way into the game.
The Clarets should have been 1-0 up inside 20 minutes as George Boyd tricked his way past defenders on the edge of the box and found the onrushing David Jones but the former Manchester United trainee hit a tame effort straight at Mannone from 18-yards out. Jutkiewicz forced Mannone into another save before the break but both teams struggled to get going offensively in Lancashire during a tight first half.
[RELATED: Latest Premier League standings]
At the start of the second half Adam Johnson went on one of his trademark mazy runs and went down under pressure but the penalty protests were immediately waved away. Jack Rodwell then had a long-range shot saved as both teams struggled for attacking inspiration. Sunderland began to turn the screw and Giaccherini’s cross was cleared off the line by Jason Shackell in the the 55th minute.
The away side looked more dangerous as Connor Wickham scuffed an effort just past the post but then Scott Arfield almost caught Mannone out at the near post. In the 78th minute the impressive Jutkiewicz got past John O’Shea but his shot was saved by Mannone as Burnley finished with a flurry.
In the 87th minute Ashley Barnes came agonizingly close to nicking all three points for Burnley but his deflected shot bounced off the bar with Mannone beaten. Then Sunderland hit the woodwork right at the death as Van Aanholt’s long-range shot was deflected off the post and wide by Heaton as the match ended scoreless.
LINEUPS
Burnley: Heaton; Trippier, Shackell, Duff, Mee, Arfield, Jones (Wallace, 86'), Marney, Boyd (Reid, 92'), Sordell (Barnes, 63'), Jutkiewicz.
Sunderland: Mannone, Vergini, Van Aanholt, Brown, O’Shea, Cattermole, Larsson (Jordi Gomez, 67'), Rodwell, Johnson (Altidore, 67'), Giaccherini (Buckley, 73') , Wickham.