Chirewa Sinks Burnley as Wolves Win at Turf Moor

Wolves substitute Tawanda Chirewa scored almost immediately after entering the game as César Peixoto’s team fought back to leave Burnley without a home victory for the 21st consecutive match.

Chirewa replaced Sean Neave in the 72nd minute and quickly made an impact. Mateus Mané capitalised on a poor touch from Igor Julio before releasing the 23-year-old Zimbabwe international, whose angled finish beat Grégoire Coudert despite the goalkeeper getting a hand to the ball.

The result provided three crucial points for the visitors after they had trailed to Jamie Vardy’s first Burnley goal, with Fer López later bringing Wolves level.

The defeat was another painful setback for Burnley. Their most recent home league victory came against Leeds on 18 October, ensuring their winless run at Turf Moor will now last for more than a year. Sheffield Wednesday set an unwanted English Football League record last season after failing to win in 23 consecutive matches at Hillsborough.

Burnley head coach Nicky Hayen acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding his position but insisted he would continue fighting. “I will not give up,” he said. “I am not focusing on the future because I do not want to waste energy on it. That is for others to decide.

“We showed plenty of bravery in the opening half, scored a well-worked goal and had opportunities to get more. However, our mistake just before the interval gave the opposition renewed belief.

“The second half was more evenly contested, and Wolves created very little before another error from us. After that, the mood inside the stadium shifted, and I can understand the supporters’ reaction.”

Portsmouth are Burnley’s next visitors, followed by a home meeting with fierce rivals Blackburn on 22 November. The Clarets had also missed out on a Turf Moor victory on Tuesday after Ivan Mesik scored Charlton’s equaliser six minutes into stoppage time.

Vardy, who turns 40 in January, demonstrated that he remains an accomplished finisher by drilling home a low shot in the 20th minute that left Wolves goalkeeper José Sá with no opportunity to save it.

Burnley could not convert their first-half dominance into further goals and were punished before the interval when captain Kyle Walker’s error allowed López to guide home the equaliser.

Wolves arrived after two successive defeats and with an injury list that had grown during the week following setbacks for Raúl Jiménez and Adam Armstrong. Their performance improved after the restart, with Coudert denying Fer’s free-kick and Rafiki Saïd’s quick effort before Chirewa entered the contest and delivered the decisive goal.

“Substitutions are effective on some occasions and not on others,” Peixoto said. “What matters is that every player is prepared when called upon. They need the correct attitude to contribute to the team, and Tawanda demonstrated that quality. These are valuable points, but they represent only one result.”

Tommy Doyle wasted an excellent late opportunity to increase Wolves’ advantage, but the visitors protected their lead and secured a much-needed win as boos echoed around Turf Moor after the final whistle.