1. George Boyd reminded the world that he is not just a grafter
For most of the season, Burnley have been painted by many as an honest side that shows a lot of fight with attacking intent but lacks the quality to stay up. Statistics have also backed that claim as the Clarets are among the most hardworking sides in the division.
Recently, Boyd epitomised that as he led the charts in all of Europe in terms of distance covered in matches but he showed in this game, when he scored with his sweet half volley, that he also has the quality to compliment his hard work.
2. Manchester City will be trounced at Barcelona if they repeat this performance
Manchester City were lethargic, uninspired and a couple of their big players were huge disappointments as they deservedly left Turf Moor with nothing. The huge disparity between the distances covered by City players compared to their Burnley counterparts was proof that the Citizens lacked the desire to win this contest.
On Wednesday, they have a demanding fixture in the Champions League as they visit Camp Nou, where Barcelona will make the pitch even bigger for the Citizens with their possession-based football.
Manuel Pellegrini may do his utmost from a tactical perspective to give his side a chance but the players will have the key role as they have to work hard in closing down spaces so that they can give themselves a chance of leaving Barcelona with a respectable result.
3. All the teams in the bottom six should be concerned by Burnley’s form
Burnley may still be in the bottom-three but this result had massive implications in the relegation battle. The Clarets are just three points away from 14th placed Everton and they have the momentum from the four points they took from Chelsea and Manchester City.
None of the sides from 14th to 17th can feel safe now given that Everton continue to look for form in the Premier League, Sunderland are on a slide with a lot of serious off-field problems, while Hull City have a tough run-in.
4. Arsenal are currently a safer bet for the second place
Manchester City have to seriously start looking over their shoulders given that they are closer to Arsenal than they are to Chelsea.
Pellegrini’s men have lost three of their last four games in all competitions, they are dealing with stories of dressing room rifts and the Chilean manager looked out of ideas against Burnley.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are enjoying their best home form in the league since moving to the Emirates Stadium, they are on a run of five straight league wins and confidence is high in their camp given the quality they showed in their victory over West Ham.
5. Sam Vokes should be a regular in Burnley’s impressive fight for survival
Most so-called lesser sides show caution in their game-plans by overloading the midfield or defence while starting with a single striker but Burnley impressively keep the system that lifted them up from the Championship with two strikers leading their attack.
The Clarets’ open approach could be enhanced by Vokes’ regular inclusion in their last nine games. This was his first start in the Premier League after missing a huge chunk of the season with a long-term knee injury.
The physically imposing striker simplified the game for Burnley by offering a target up the pitch for long balls. That is important for a side that has good crossers of the ball from full-back positions, plus intelligent forwards like Danny Ings and Ashley Barnes who can play off a powerful striker.
