Match ends, Huddersfield Town 0, Burnley 0.
HuddersfieldHuddersfield Town0BurnleyBurnley0
Huddersfield goalkeeper Jonas Lossl says "there was contact" between him and Burnley's Jeff Hendrick in a second-half incident that saw a clear penalty not given in his side's goalless draw with the Clarets at the John Smith's stadium.
It happened when Hendrick - who took advantage of a slip by Tommy Smith - attempted to take the ball beyond the advancing Lossl, before his right leg was clearly clipped by the Danish shot-stopper.
"I touched him," Lossl said afterwards. "I spoke to the referee and I said there was contact. I didn't do it on purpose, but there was contact. I told the referee after but it was his decision."
Burnley boss Sean Dyche said it was "impossible" that a spot-kick was not awarded.
"Jeff has gone down in a natural manner and he does not get it," he said.
"It seems people who go down in a theatrical way do get it [penalty decisions], but Jeff goes down in a natural way as his foot is clearly taken away, but he does not get it.
It was a game in which Dyche's side enjoyed the better openings, particularly in a first-half which saw a Hendrick goal ruled out for offside, before Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Steven Defour flashed wide of Lossl's left and right goalposts respectively.
Huddersfield were content to sit deep and absorb pressure, creating little in attack, but they were almost caught out late on when former Terrier Nahki Wells, on as a substitute for the Clarets, saw Lossl's legs block his toe-poked effort from close range.
Instead, it was a repeat of the result in the reverse fixture at Turf Moor in September.
A point for the home side means they stay 11th in the Premier League, keeping the gap to the bottom three at six. Burnley remain in the heady heights of seventh, with a seven-point cushion over Leicester in eighth.
'He made me go down'
The introduction of VAR (video assistant referee) is coming to English football in 2018, but it wasn't there in time for Burnley in this match.
In the big talking point of an otherwise unremarkable encounter, Hendrick went to ground after being clearly caught by Lossl - it looked like a penalty in real-time and the replays only made Paul Tierney's decision to not point to the spot look worse.
"I felt contact and he [Lossl] made me go down," the Republic of Ireland midfielder, who was not booked for diving, said of the incident.
"The referee said he didn't think it was a dive, but that I lost my footing and he didn't think the goalkeeper touched me."
Town boss David Wagner admitted his side had been "lucky" with the decision.
The Clarets are now winless in their past four league games, but there were plenty of positives to draw from this performance and only Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United (both 10) have kept more Premier League clean sheets than Burnley (nine) this season.
Terriers should accentuate the positives
This was a meeting of the two biggest surprise stories of the Premier League season so far, and as the scoreline testifies, there was little between them.
Burnley had the better chances, yes, but while the Terriers were somewhat made to look like the away side, they were comfortable in absorbing pressure for the most part.
And given the penalty decision went in their favour, supporters of Wagner's side should see this as firstly a let-off and latterly a good point.
They will begin the new year just outside the top half and with a good cushion to the relegation zone, a fact that caps a memorable year, having made a return to the top flight for the first time in 45 years by winning May's play-off final, and briefly (very, very briefly) topping the table.
In avoiding defeat, they have now lost just one of their past six Premier League games - their best run so far this season.
'Burnley backed up their league position' - what they said
Huddersfield boss David Wagner: "It was a very tough game and we are very pleased with a point as you can see why Burnley are seventh in the Premier League.
"They had the better chances, they had more chances, but it was a point we had to to work hard for and that is what the players have done."
Burnley boss Sean Dyche: "It was a very dominant performance in the first half. Huddersfield are going well but we had a dominant performance."
Man of the match - Christopher Schindler (Huddersfield)
Terriers and Clarets at stalemate again - the stats
- Only Manchester City (30), Chelsea (20), Manchester United (18) and Liverpool (18) have won more away points in the Premier League this season than Burnley (17).
- Indeed, Burnley have kept as many away clean sheets in the Premier League this season (four in 11 games), as they did in the whole of 2016-17 (four in 19 games).
- Burnley have lost just three of their 21 league meetings with Huddersfield Town since March 1971 (W11 D7 L3).
- Both fixtures between these two teams this season finished 0-0 - the first time they've shared two goalless draws in a single league campaign.
- This was the eighth time this season that Burnley named an unchanged starting XI in the Premier League; more often than any other team.
What's next?
Huddersfield begin 2018 with a trip to Leicester on 1 January (15:00 GMT); on the same day, Burnley entertain Liverpool at Turf Moor (also 15:00 GMT).
Line-ups
Huddersfield
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 1Lössl
- 33HadergjonajSubstituted forSmithat 45'minutes
- 25M JorgensenBooked at 12mins
- 26Schindler
- 3Malone
- 10Mooy
- 6Hogg
- 23QuanerSubstituted forWilliamsat 82'minutes
- 22InceSubstituted forLolleyat 55'minutesBooked at 90mins
- 17van La Parra
- 20Depoitre
Substitutes
- 2Smith
- 13Coleman
- 14Cranie
- 18Lolley
- 19Williams
- 24Mounie
- 44Hefele
Burnley
Formation 4-4-1-1
- 29Pope
- 26Bardsley
- 28Long
- 6MeeBooked at 76mins
- 3Taylor
- 17Berg Gudmundsson
- 16Defour
- 4Cork
- 37Arfield
- 13HendrickSubstituted forVokesat 73'minutes
- 10BarnesSubstituted forWellsat 81'minutes
Substitutes
- 2Lowton
- 8Marney
- 9Vokes
- 18Westwood
- 19Walters
- 21Wells
- 22Lindegaard
- Referee:
- Paul Tierney
- Attendance:
- 24,095
Match Stats
Home TeamHuddersfieldAway TeamBurnley
- Possession
- Home57%
- Away43%
- Shots
- Home3
- Away11
- Shots on Target
- Home1
- Away4
- Corners
- Home5
- Away4
- Fouls
- Home14
- Away14
Live Text
Post update
Full Time
Second Half ends, Huddersfield Town 0, Burnley 0.
Booking
Joe Lolley (Huddersfield Town) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Post update
Foul by Joe Lolley (Huddersfield Town).
Post update
Jack Cork (Burnley) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Attempt missed. Sam Vokes (Burnley) header from the right side of the six yard box misses to the right. Assisted by Phil Bardsley with a cross.
Post update
Danny Williams (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Post update
Foul by Nahki Wells (Burnley).
Post update
Scott Malone (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Nahki Wells (Burnley).
Post update
Attempt saved. Nahki Wells (Burnley) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Sam Vokes with a headed pass.
Substitution
Substitution, Huddersfield Town. Danny Williams replaces Collin Quaner because of an injury.
Post update
Joe Lolley (Huddersfield Town) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Foul by Phil Bardsley (Burnley).
Substitution
Substitution, Burnley. Nahki Wells replaces Ashley Barnes.
Post update
Foul by Laurent Depoitre (Huddersfield Town).
Post update
Ben Mee (Burnley) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Post update
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
Post update
Delay in match Collin Quaner (Huddersfield Town) because of an injury.
Booking
Ben Mee (Burnley) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Comments
Join the conversation
The ref was 10 yards away with a clear view.It is impossible not to give it.
UTC
Perhaps didn’t go down with sufficient theatrics - need to ask Ramsey and Ali for some lessons?
Until then, a referee can exercise prejudice, bias, interpretation, content, intent that will affect the outcome of a game. A point more is a point less!
You really are the most monotonous troll on HYS. Every week we see the same bile. All you do is see the score, maybe read the report then post that only elite teams deserve their Premier League status.
Please grow up or save your HYS opinions for Strictly Come Dancing or whatever drivel you actually spend your time watching because it ain't football.
Rugby -tries - foot in touch. Cricket - foot was no ball for the bowler.
Else clubs, supporters and the paying viewer are CHEATED!
Who else supports the introduction of VARs for penalties/ goals?
In football, the VARs still have to decide if handball was deliberate, & in the case of players diving to gain a pen, it is all about opinion in the end.
Fair point but VARs CAN be used to determine whether there was a handball at all, that is, if the contact was with another part of the body. Also with dives where the player goes down with no contact whatsoever.