Vincent Kompany insisted Burnley were not getting the rewards their performances deserve after they slumped to a top-flight record sixth straight home defeat to start the season, losing 2-0 to Crystal Palace at Turf Moor.
A mistake from Jordan Beyer allowed Jeffrey Schlupp to put Palace in front in the 22nd minute and, despite dominating the ball and having 16 shots to Palace’s four, Burnley could not find an equaliser before Tyrick Mitchell doubled the visitors’ lead in stoppage time.
Defeat means Burnley are off the bottom of the table on goal difference alone, having already played a third of their home fixtures without reward.
When they suffered relegation in 2021-22, Burnley lost eight home games all season, but could conceivably reach that number before Christmas this time around.
“It’s tough because you want to call out the facts which is a mistake cost us but at the same time you don’t want players to lose their confidence,” Kompany said.
“They’ve worked really hard in every game, today as well, worked really hard behind the scenes, they’re getting the performance for it but to get the rewards of winning you’re just going to have to stick at it.”
Asked how worried he was about the home record, Kompany said his side’s problems extend beyond Turf Moor.
“When you have four points, it’s away and home form,” he said. “It’s not because we’ve got four points I can go and say we’ve got unbelievable away form. It’s tough.
“Like I’ve told you even in the home games we can’t all of a sudden think that this is going to be an easy game but the performance was good, the result was not good.
“I won’t deviate and take myself into anything other than making sure that we stay on plan, we stay ready to get the best out of our team.”
Kompany side’s stormed to promotion last term, losing only once at Turf Moor and lighting up the Championship with their possession-based attacking play.
To say that translating that into the Premier League has been difficult would be an understatement, but Kompany is full of belief that his side can turn things around.
“It’s not in my style to get knocked off the ball,” he said. “You have to have an idea as a manager, whatever that idea is. Whoever says that style is the solution is a fool.
“The solution is good coaching. The solution is better players – I’m not saying we need better players, it’s players getting better or having the best players. These are the foundation.
“Some of those are sometimes solved by having good finances. They are the foundation of what decides results more than anything else.”
The results may not be there for Burnley but Palace boss Roy Hodgson was impressed by their performance and backed Kompany’s side to turn it around.
“Burnley were good and we thought they would be,” he said. “We’ve been watching them in our preparation and we weren’t surprised in the way they played, the quality of their play.
“I thought they defended extremely well and prevented us from taking as much benefit from our winning of the ball as I would have liked to have seen us do, but the good thing is that even during that period we kept our shape, we kept working hard.
“There aren’t going to be too many teams who get away from here with three points, I can tell you that now, not if Burnley keep playing the way they are playing.
“We’ve got to be delighted with our discipline, our determination, our efforts really got us the three points.
“We’ll go back to London happy and I’m sure Burnley will feel very aggrieved they didn’t get more from their performance but if they keep playing like that they will.”
Nashville SC v Atlanta United: Long-time coach Smith departs in shock move
Gary Smith has left Nashville SC, with the team confirming they have parted company with their long-serving head coach.
Nashville beat Toronto FC on Wednesday, moving up to 10th in the Eastern Conference.
Yet on Thursday, the team confirmed they had decided to part ways with Smith, who had been in charge for seven seasons.
Smith won 52 MLS games during his spell in charge, while also leading Nashville to the Leagues Cup final in 2023.
Nashville face Atlanta United on Saturday, with ex-player and now player development coach Rumba Munthali stepping in as interim head coach.
No reason was provided for Smith's departure. He has been joined in leaving the club by assistant coach Steve Guppy.
A Nashville statement read: "Nashville SC extends its gratitude to Smith and Guppy for their dedication and contributions to our team and wishes them and their families all the best in their future endeavours.
"Under Smith's leadership, Nashville SC emerged as a very organised and hard-to-beat team in both leagues.
"In the USL Championship, Smith guided the team to a 32-win record over two seasons, including two playoff appearances and a second-place finish in the Eastern Conference in 2019.
"His transition to MLS with the club was seamless, leading Nashville to four consecutive MLS Cup playoff appearances, a feat only achieved by two other teams in the league's history."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nashville SC - Hany Mukhtar
Mukhtar has scored five goals in nine career regular-season matches against Atlanta. Only Luciano Acosta (nine goals in 17 games) has scored more times against the Five Stripes.
Atlanta United - Thiago Almada
Almada has scored in all three of his career MLS matches against Nashville. No player has ever scored in four consecutive regular-season meetings versus Nashville, though Daryl Dike did score in four straight for Orlando City, including playoff games.
MATCH PREDICTION: NASHVILLE WIN
Despite Smith's departure, Opta's model still predicts a positive outcome for Nashville.
Atlanta are winless in 11 straight MLS away matches (D5 L6 incl. playoffs) dating back to last September. It is the longest active road winless run in MLS.
Nashville have won two straight home matches, their first regular-season home winning streak since a run of six straight last April-July. They managed just two wins in 12 home league games between the two streaks (D6 L4).
Atlanta's 4-0 home win over Nashville last August ended a seven-match winless run for them in the series (D3 L4). Atlanta won their first visit to Nashville, 2-1, in the latter's inaugural match in March 2020, but the Five Stripes are winless in five visits in all competitions since (D2 L3).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Nashville SC - 46.2%
Atlanta United - 25.5%
Draw - 28.3%
FC Cincinnati v St. Louis City: Noonan looking for improved performance despite Atlanta win
Despite watching his side beat Atlanta United in midweek, FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan still wants more from his side when they host St. Louis City this weekend.
Kevin Kelsy's seventh-minute strike was enough to earn Cincinnati a 1-0 win over Atlanta to make it five straight MLS victories.
Cincinnati currently sit second in the Eastern Conference, but Noonan is still demanding more from his side than Wednesday's performance.
"I wouldn't say 'negatives' but [there are] things we could have done better, and here we are with the guys keeping a clean sheet and winning the game," Noonan told reporters.
"They deserve credit and to be proud of the fact that they're still walking off the field with a win tonight."
St. Louis saw a five-game unbeaten streak end as they lost 2-0 to Los Angeles FC in midweek.
The defeat leaves St. Louis ninth in the Western Conference, though they are just three points off sixth-placed Austin FC.
Bradley Carnell is looking to get players back fit and raring to go for the visit to Cincinnati at the weekend, saying: "It's about how we manage over the next couple of days to get a solid, fit line-up for Cincinnati.
"We don't have much time to sit and dwell, and we have to be brave and positive to head to Cincinnati."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
FC Cincinnati – Kevin Kelsy
In his first MLS start, Kelsy scored Cincinnati's lone goal on Wednesday. The 19-year-old has scored in consecutive games, making him the first teenager to score multiple MLS goals for Cincinnati, and if he gets the nod from the off again here, he will once more hope to mark it with a goal.
St. Louis City – Joao Klauss
Having netted four in his previous four games, Klauss drew a blank against LAFC as St. Louis slumped to defeat. He is clearly a key man in St. Louis' attack, and he will hope to get back among the goals this weekend, and with a win too.
MATCH PREDICTION – CINCINNATI WIN
St. Louis beat Cincinnati 5-1 in the lone previous meeting between the sides last April. The four-goal margin is Cincinnati’s largest defeat since the start of last season and equals St. Louis' largest ever margin of victory.
But St. Louis are winless in eight straight away matches in all competitions (four draws, four defeats). St. Louis have won three of their last 23 on the road after winning the first three away matches in club history.
Cincinnati have won five straight regular season matches with all five wins coming by one-goal margins, the first team to do so since the Red Bulls in 2012, and though it may be a tight game again this weekend, the hosts will fancy their chances of coming out on the right side of the result and collecting another three points.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Cincinnati: 44.3%
St. Louis: 28.2%
Draw: 27.5%
Klopp jokes he 'doesn't like Maddison' after failing to block Kompany winner
Jurgen Klopp has joked he doesn't like James Maddison after the midfielder's failure to block Vincent Kompany's long-range winner in the 2018-19 season.
With the title race that campaign nearing its conclusion, Manchester City and Liverpool were going toe-to-toe at the Premier League summit.
City faced Leicester City in their penultimate game, and with the contest 0-0 with 20 minutes left, the ball sat up for Kompany to shoot from range with Maddison in the vicinity.
Maddison failed to block the effort, and Kompany's drive flew into the top corner before City ultimately went on to claim the title.
Klopp has joked that he now feels differently about Maddison following that incident, telling The Redmen TV: "The moment when Vinny Kompany fires the ball, I'm really happy I didn't get a stroke because that's how it must feel.
"I was watching thinking, 'Maddison, block him, close him down!'
"And since then, I don't like Maddison! I was also angry with Brendan [Rodgers, then Leicester manager] that day, because he should have taken him off, he was tired.
"It's a personal thing. Of course, I have no problem."
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