Burnley put their Premier League troubles to one side as they breezed into the last 16 of the Carabao Cup with a 4-0 demolition of Sky Bet League Two strugglers Salford.
Winless in their first five games back in the top flight, Vincent Kompany’s side are enjoying better fortunes in this competition and followed up last month’s victory at Nottingham Forest with a one-sided win over Salford, suffering near the foot of League Two but boasting Cup wins over Leeds and Preston.
Anass Zaroury had a hand in all four goals as Sander Berge, Jacob Bruun Larsen and Dara O’Shea put the result beyond doubt inside the opening half an hour before Wilson Odobert marked his full debut with a late fourth. For all four Burnley scorers, it was their first goal for the club.
It was a welcome flurry from a side who had only scored five goals in six games before this, conceding 14, and puts them into the fourth round for a fourth straight season, although they have not advanced any further since reaching the semi-finals under Owen Coyle in the 2008-09 campaign.
Kompany, who lifted this trophy four times as a player with Manchester City, changed all 11 players from the side beaten 1-0 by Manchester United on Saturday as he juggles his 34-man squad.
But facing a side now on a six-match losing streak, fourth from bottom in the fourth tier and battling a lengthy injury list, there was no surprise in seeing Burnley dominate the ball and quickly take control.
The opening goal was all too easy as Berge, the £15million summer signing from Sheffield United, rose unchallenged to head in Zaroury’s 12th-minute corner.
There was a worry a moment later when Manuel Benson went down awkwardly and immediately signalled for help. The Belgian tried to battle on, and by the time he was eventually replaced by Mike Tresor in the 27th minute, Burnley had scored two more.
First Zaroury lifted a ball through for Bruun Larsen to lob the advancing Salford goalkeeper Alex Cairns.
Then the Moroccan tried to catch out Cairns with a quick free-kick from a tight angle. The keeper stopped the shot but could not hold it, and O’Shea accepted the invite to bundle the ball home.
Tresor had a strike ruled out for offside moments later, while Odobert was inches away from scoring in first-half stoppage time, sending Bruun Larsen’s cross back across the face of goal.
The second half started with Salford right-back Tosin Olapade, released by Burnley in the summer, getting it all wrong trying to clear a Vitinho cross and almost putting the ball into his own net.
Salford then had their best moment when former Northern Ireland international Matty Lund sent Conor McAleny racing through the middle but a combination of Vitinho and O’Shea recovered to make the block.
But the second half was a largely disjointed affair, with Burnley sure of their win and Salford trying to avoid any more damage – something they almost managed to do.
Odobert again went close in the 70th minute, shooting straight at Cairns from a tight angle, but got his goal nine minutes from time when Zaroury picked him out with a cross from the right and he cut back inside before firing into the net.
Howe taking plenty of positives despite frustrating Newcastle campaign
Eddie Howe was keen to look at the positives after Newcastle United secured seventh place in the Premier League on Sunday.
Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes were among the goalscorers as Newcastle won 4-2 at Brentford to finish their Premier League campaign.
The victory ensured a seventh-place finish, and a Manchester City victory over Manchester United in next Saturday's FA Cup final will confirm Newcastle's place in next season's Europa Conference League.
While this season did not quite live up to the heroics of last term, which saw the Magpies finish in the Champions League spots, Howe still feels it has been a successful campaign.
"It summed up our season," Howe told BBC Sport. "We weren't totally secure at the back, but great credit to the players. They've done their job - now we wait and see.
"We anticipated after losing against Manchester United that our control of the [European] situation had gone. It's never a nice situation, but whatever happens, happens.
"We have issues to solve defensively. If we can do that, next season could be another season of really strong performances. This was a season that could have been better, but a good season overall.
"We're a really united club. I think we're still moving forward, so there's a lot to be positive about."
Postecoglou will not settle until Tottenham hit his 'lofty ambitions'
Ange Postecoglou warned Tottenham he will not settle until the club hits the "lofty ambitions" targeted in his mind.
Spurs were 3-0 victors over Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday, ending their Premier League season with a convincing win to finish fifth in the table.
Postecoglou voiced his frustrations after Tuesday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City ended their hopes of Champions League football next term.
The Spurs head coach was far more relaxed after his side performed well in Sheffield, with Dejan Kulusevski twice on target, along with a goal for Pedro Porro against the relegated Blades.
Yet Postecoglou insisted his ambitions remain high as the Australian attempts to take Tottenham to the next level.
"Contrary to my general demeanour, I have loved every minute of it," former Celtic boss Postecoglou said of his first season in charge of Tottenham.
"It is a great challenge in the Premier League and taking over a big club that didn't have a great year last year. You understand it is not going to run smoothly, but I have enjoyed the whole season.
"I have got some lofty ambitions for the football club and until we reach that point I am not going to be smiling too much.
"As I said, all any manager wants is maximum effort and I have got that from everyone involved. I have enjoyed it and looking forward to pushing on from here."
Asked to summarise his first campaign in England's top league, Postecoglou continued: "It's been good, it's been eventful, it's had a bit of everything.
"I am obviously not delighted with the way we finished the season but in fairness to the players and staff we have been in the top five all season, in a year where there was a fair bit of upheaval.
"We finished eighth last year, player turnover, different football, different way of training, it is not easy to maintain a level when you are trying to do that.
"Even in our tough periods this year we have still been competitive for the most part."
Kulusevski scored his seventh and eighth Premier League goals of the season (36 outings), more than he managed in his first two league campaigns with Tottenham combined (seven across 48 games).
Only in the 2019-20 season with Parma has the Sweden winger scored more times in a league season (10 in Serie A), and Postecoglou hailed Kulusevski's returns.
He added: "I thought Deki was good. He's worked awfully hard this year without a lot of reward in the front third.
"We thought playing him through middle today would help us with his mobility and ability to run in behind. He did well.
"He always works hard but it's that sort of final third where we need him to get rewards and he got them today so he did well."
Burnley 1-2 Nottingham Forest: Wood at the double to sink relegated Clarets
Nottingham Forest left nothing to chance as they overcame Burnley 2-1 to cap off a difficult Premier League campaign.
Forest’s safety was not mathematically confirmed heading into the final day, even though it was never likely that Luton Town would manage to flip the goal difference in their favour.
But 17th-placed Forest ensured they did their bit regardless against the already-relegated Clarets, with Chris Wood’s first-half double doing the damage at Turf Moor.
Josh Cullen’s deflected attempt gave Burnley hope, but the visitors held firm to finish six points clear of the bottom three.
Forest needed just 76 seconds to open the scoring – Anthony Elanga bursting down the right flank and sending a low cross into the six-yard box, where Wood was waiting to tap home.
It was 2-0 just 12 minutes later, as Wood reacted sharply to turn in Ryan Yates’ shot.
While the goal was initially disallowed for offside, that decision was overturned after a VAR review, with Wood having managed to keep himself the right side of the last man.
Zeki Amdouni should have done better when teed up by Jacob Bruun Larsen, but the Swiss forward blazed over.
Wood had the chance to complete his hat-trick two minutes into the second half, only to send a tame header straight at Arijanet Muric.
Burnley’s goalkeeper was forced into a tougher save by Morgan Gibbs-White soon after, as he tipped over the playmaker’s dipping long-range strike.
Wilson Odobert tried his luck from distance at the other end around the hour, with the winger’s effort skimming just wide of Matz Sels’ goal.
Burnley’s luck changed in the 72nd minute – Cullen’s hopeful attempt diverting in off a defender, with Sels left helpless.
There was to be no final-day comeback for the Clarets, though, as they prepare for life in the second tier.
Wood haunts the Clarets
Wood is Burnley’s highest-ever Premier League goalscorer, having netted 49 times for the Clarets between 2017 and 2022.
However, with his opener, he became the fifth player to score a Premier League goal against Burnley having previously played for them in the competition, after Andre Gray, Danny Ings, Michael Keane and Patrick Bamford.
That goal was brilliantly created by Elanga, who has now set up Wood for six goals this season – the most assists by one player for a single team-mate across the division.
With his double, Wood will end the season with 14 goals in the league – his best return since 2019-20.
Clarets head to the Championship with a whimper
Burnley had hope when they strung together a decent run across March and April, yet Vincent Kompany’s team have ultimately come unstuck in the run-in.
With relegation already confirmed, the pressure was off heading into Sunday’s game, but Burnley could not make the most of playing with that freedom.
The hosts did at least get on the scoresheet thanks to that Cullen effort, meaning they scored for a sixth straight Premier League match – their longest such run since a streak of nine matches between March and May 2021.
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