Burnley 0-0 Huddersfield: Tom Ince stars but Rajiv van La Parra's dive is the major talking point from Turf Moor stalemate

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When gamesmanship becomes brinkmanship. Rajiv van La Parra had peeled away from Matthew Lowton right in front of Turf Moor’s now infamous Ladbrokes Stand.

He called for the early pass. Tom Ince obliged. Huddersfield were breaking at pace, Van La Parra bearing down on Nick Pope and ready to break the tedium.

The substitute clumsily overran Ince’s through ball and, in a moment of insecurity and muddled thinking, fell to the floor. Theatrically, you might say. Embarrassingly so. ‘Cheating,’ Sean Dyche remarked plainly.  

Ince takes aim from outside the box in the second half and fires a shot that agonizingly whizzes past the post 

Burnley striker Wood has a superb opportunity to break the deadlock but misjudges his leap and heads high and off target

Rajiv van La Parra breaks into the box with some fancy footwork but decides to dive after a challenge from Lowton

The Burnley players were not impressed and three of their defenders shouted at the floored van La Parra

Kavanagh brandishes a yellow card for the Huddersfield substitute for simulating a dive in the Burnley penalty area

MATCH FACTS, PLAYER RATINGS, PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE

Burnley (4-4-1-1): Pope 6.5; Lowton 6, Tarkowski 7, Mee 6.5, Ward 7; Arfield 6.5 (Gudmundsson 77), Cork 6.5, Defour 7.5, Brady 6; Hendrick 6 (Barnes 74, 6); Wood 6

Subs not used: Legzdins, Vokes, Westwood, Bardsley, Long

Booked: Cork 7, Arfield 24

Manager: Sean Dyche

Huddersfield Town (4-2-3-1): Lossl 6; Smith 6.5, Jorgensen 6, Schindler 7, Lowe 6.5; Hogg 6 (Billing 80), Mooy 7; Sabiri 6 (Van La Parra 62, 5), Ince 7, Kachunga 6; Depoitre 6

Subs not used: Green, Malone, Whitehead, Hadergjonaj, Hefele

Booked: Sabiri 6, van La Parra 71

Manager: David Wagner

Referee: Chris Kavanagh 

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Huddersfield's Tom Ince was one of the brightest sparks on the pitch. This was his heatmap against Burnley on Saturday. CLICK HERE to see more of our brilliant MATCH ZONE.

 

 

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Lowton did not touch Van La Parra, brought on to stretch Burnley in precisely this way. James Tarkowski stood over Huddersfield’s winger incensed. With a booking and boos, Van La Parra now faces a bill for the yellow card but not a fine by David Wagner.

The FA do not have the jurisdiction to ban the 26-year-old given referee Chris Kavanagh dealt with the situation. Had Huddersfield won the penalty then Van La Parra would be been looking at a two-match suspension. Dyche cannot understand that.

‘I have been harking on about it for about three years with someone diving,’ Dyche said. I’m not saying we’re whiter than white but if one of my players does it, they’re getting the curly finger next week.

‘It’s unacceptable in my book. It’s not about the player, it’s the moment. I talk of it for the good of the game. It’s about my kid watching the game, kids diving all over the place, they copy players and it’s got to go.  

David Wagner and Sean Dyche embrace prior to the kick-off of their Premier League match at Turf Moor on Saturday

 Burnley midfielder Scott Arfield pulls the shorts of Huddersfield winger Tom Ince as the pair battle for possession

‘That one today is as bad as I have seen. I don’t know the player as a person, it might be off the scale for him, but it’s about the moment. Maybe the video thing will give the referee a chance, whatever way they bring it in and look at it. Maybe that will affect it.

‘I was a defender and if you touch someone and go down it’s gamesmanship, but when there is no contact and going down? That’s got to go. For a product as good as football why do you need it? You wouldn’t have it in many other sports so why this?’

Dyche had studied the video whereas Wagner had not. ‘I’ve spoken to him and it was a dive. We don’t like to see that,’ the German said.

The incident livened up the lifeless. For both, this was another point towards the target. And for both, while a largely tedious affair, a valuable afternoon’s work. Neither did enough.  

Chris Wood runs into the channel and looks to get the ball under control as a Huddersfield player puts him under pressure

Abdelhamid Sabiri looks to protect possession and tries to shrug off Steven Defour who is applying pressure

Referee Chris Kavanagh shows no leniency and yellow cards midfielder Jack Cork early on during the first 45 minutes

Chris Wood glanced wide in the first half when he ghosted between Huddersfield’s centre halves. Laurent Depoitre lazily struck straight at Nick Pope when Ince laid on.

But that was pretty much that, Town reduced to efforts from long range - much like Tottenham, Liverpool and Crystal Palace on their way to recording 86 shots on goal against Dyche’s Burnley over the last month. Four clean sheets for Huddersfield, too, with Mathis Jorgensen and Christopher Schindler assured.

Sean Dyche’s decision not to sign a direct replacement for Michael Keane has seen Tarkowski - who completed a perfectly-timed tactical foul on Van La Parra in the final minute to halt a counter - shine in a division that has lost the desire to defend. He will not have minded the booking.

Dyche’s midfield are shrewd readers of situations too. Jack Cork patrols excellently and Steven Defour’s renaissance continues alongside him. ‘Defour was the best player on the pitch,’ Dyche concluded. To be fair, he did not have too many rivals for that prize. 

Arfield chases down a loose ball and puts Tommy Smith under pressure as the Huddersfield defender tries to usher it out

Huddersfield midfielder Ince sets off on a mazy run and manages to skip past Matthew Lowton's sliding challenge

Wood lands awkwardly after competing for the ball in the air with defender Mathias Jorgensen

Huddersfield manager David Wagner looks on concerned during his sides match with Burnley