Aston Villa moved level on points with Premier League leaders Liverpool as Douglas Luiz’s late penalty secured a 3-2 home win over 10-man Burnley.

Villa led at the break thanks to a Moussa Diaby finish after Leon Bailey’s 28th-minute opener for the hosts had been cancelled out three minutes later by Zeki Amdouni.

Burnley suffered a further setback with Sander Berge sent off early in the second half, but it looked as if it could prove a frustrating afternoon for Villa after Lyle Foster drew things level again in the 71st minute.

Luiz then had the final say, converting from the spot with a minute of normal time remaining, as Unai Emery’s side moved up a place to second in the table, joining Liverpool on 42 points ahead of the Reds hosting Newcastle on New Year’s Day.

The 26th league win of their superb 2023 under Emery saw the midlands outfit bounce back from the 3-2 Boxing Day loss at Manchester United, with normal service resumed at Villa Park after the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on December 22 had ended a club-record run of 15 consecutive home league wins.

Vincent Kompany’s Burnley, meanwhile, remain second-bottom, five points adrift of safety.

Villa had a couple of opportunities in the opening quarter-hour, with Diaby sending a volley wide and another from Ollie Watkins saved by James Trafford.

Burnley were then forced into an early change as Jordan Beyer was replaced by Hannes Delcroix, before starting to show some threat as Josh Brownhill struck wide and quickly brought a save out of Emiliano Martinez.

Within moments Villa were ahead, Watkins cutting into the box from the left and laying the ball to Bailey who took a touch and fired past Trafford via a deflection.

The lead proved short-lived, with Burnley hitting back almost immediately through Amdouni’s hooked effort after Dara O’Shea had headed a free-kick across goal.

The visitors then had the ball in the net again in the 37th minute, but Foster’s finish was ruled out for offside.

Villa regained the advantage five minutes later with Watkins again the creator, the England striker fashioning the cut-back from which Diaby turned the ball home.

Following Foster and Amdouni efforts saved by Martinez either side of the interval, Burnley were reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute when Berge collected a second yellow card having tugged at the shirt of Luiz.

Diaby curled over soon after before Foster prodded wide following a possible handball by Diego Carlos just outside the box that brought no action from referee Stuart Attwell.

Villa cranked up the pressure as Trafford denied John McGinn and Diaby before Luiz, Jacob Ramsey and Diaby, twice, shot off target.

The hosts were then left ruing that as Foster held off Alex Moreno and fired in for his first goal since returning to action after an eight-match absence in which he had been receiving care for his mental health.

It appeared as if Villa’s wastefulness might cost them, but as stoppage time drew near a challenge by former Villa man Aaron Ramsey on fellow substitute Jhon Duran prompted Attwell to point to the spot and Luiz converted the penalty with a shot that bounced down off the bar to ensure a fine calendar year ended on a high for Emery’s team.

Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo is confident the forward line will step up to cover for the pending absence of Mohamed Salah.

Darwin Nunez ended a run of 12 matches without a goal, while Diogo Jota came off the bench to score after a month out injured in Tuesday’s 2-0 Premier League win over Burnley which took Jurgen Klopp’s side top of the table.

Salah has one more game – at home to Newcastle on Sunday – before he departs for the African Nations Cup with Egypt and the 16-goal winger is likely to be away for a month.

Therefore, Jota’s timely return boosts the numbers up top, while Nunez’s confidence has been lifted by his first Premier League goal since October.

Gakpo himself has seven for the season, the latest coming in last week’s Carabao Cup romp against West Ham after he was denied a goal at Turf Moor when referee Paul Tierney adjudged Nunez to have committed a foul in the build-up, and he believes they have enough firepower to see them through in Salah’s absence.

“For every attacking player who didn’t score for a few games, it’s always nice to get back on the scoresheet and Darwin did it with a very good goal,” said Gakpo.

“For Diogo as well. When you are injured and you come back and score that’s always nice and good for the confidence. So really happy.

“Mo is gone after the Newcastle game so we need the goals. Of course, I think I can contribute even more.”

Liverpool captain Virgil Van Dijk is also of the opinion they can handle Salah’s expected lengthy absence despite the Egypt international being their main threat for so many seasons.

“It’s always important for the guys up front to score goals. I am delighted for Darwin. Diogo, it’s the same story. It’s good to see the boys back on the scoresheet,” said the Netherlands defender.

“I also want to say that Cody was outstanding, in the first half especially. It’s good to see. Everyone has to keep pushing each other. That’s the only way we can get better.

“Others have to step up anyway. We have to deal with losing Mo and we have the players up front who can make the difference. Let’s see how we deal with it.”

Liverpool’s return to the Premier League summit probably has more significance to the outside world than it does within the squad, who are refusing to look beyond their next game.

“The table is not looking in a bad place but we have to take it one game at a time, don’t let our heads go everywhere all over the place, just stay focused and keep doing what we are doing now and even improve more,” added Gakpo, who is enjoying his first taste of the English festive programme.

“It’s the first time I played with this intensity – a lot of games in a few days – and it’s nice as if you play a good game you can play again and if you play a not-so-good game, you can make it good in the next game as it’s coming nice and quick,” he added.

“Everybody wants the three points – also the opponents – so you have to work really hard every game and you have to be able to win games different ways.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp was delighted to see both Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota score – for different reasons – in the 2-0 win at Burnley.

Nunez ended a run of 12 games without a goal with the first-half opener and Jota came off the bench after a month out to kill the game off in the 90th minute – his 50th goal for the Reds.

“(Nunez) is an incredible finisher but if a striker doesn’t score, the whole system is not the same,” said Klopp.

“You question everything. It’s not just the outside world, but you question everything. But it was just in the moment and he has it so it’s all good.”

Jota’s return could not be more timely with top scorer Mohamed Salah set to depart to the African Nations Cup after the weekend’s visit of Newcastle.

“Diogo is an incredibly important player for us. Having him changed the whole dynamic, that’s true. The goal he scored today is the goal of a boy full of conviction,” Klopp added.

Victory returned Liverpool to the top of the table, with Arsenal not due to play until Thursday.

“So, 42 points, that’s really pleasing, to be honest. That’s really cool because the first part of the season (is) done and it was absolutely alright what we did. Not perfect but it was alright,” Klopp said.

“And if I’m right, we cannot be more than a point away from the top of the table, if Arsenal win (against West Ham on Thursday). That’s obviously in punching distance, let me say it like that.”

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany said deficiencies up front cost his side the chance of getting something from the game and admits the chance of him adding a proven quality striker in January are slim.

“We had our moments, we can’t prevent them from having their moments as they are a top side, but we had our moments as well,” he said.

“The team fights, the team is alive, the team is entertaining – it just lacks the little bit of final touch to reward ourselves.

“The problem is that final touch in the Premier League, what is that? Down the bottom it is (Dominic) Solanke, (Raul) Jimenez – that’s the level you need and it’s difficult to go out in the market and find that level of player for us.

“We have to see a progression in the players we have but if there is something smart we can do we will see.”

Striker Darwin Nunez ended a 12-match goal drought to help fire Liverpool back to the top of the table with a 2-0 victory at Burnley.

The Uruguay international, who had not scored a Premier League goal since the end of October, made the crucial breakthrough in the first half before substitute Diogo Jota marked his first appearance in a month with the clincher in the 90th minute – his 50th goal for the Reds.

While it was in most respects a comfortable victory – they had two goals disallowed and also hit the woodwork – for a team registering five changes from the exhausting draw with Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp’s team made things more difficult than they had to be against opponents who have now lost nine of 10 home games.

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany famously put a spanner in the Liverpool works when his long-range strike against Leicester tipped the 2018-19 title race in Manchester City’s favour, but there were no such heroics from his struggling team, whose cause was not helped by wins for Luton and Nottingham Forest.

Their best hope was to take chances when they came and hope the visitors had an off day but they were their own worst enemy in the final third, making poor decisions, giving the ball away and being robbed of possession too easily.

In only the fifth minute, Zeki Amdouni launched a four-on-three but then sliced wide from 25 yards to waste their numerical advantage.

That was symptomatic of their shortcomings and they were punished immediately as from Liverpool’s next attack Cody Gakpo’s cutback picked out Nunez whose first-time finish curled the ball inside the far post from 25 yards.

It was just reward for his endeavour as he had sparked the move down the left and picked himself up off the turn after beating Dara O’Shea to rejoin the attack.

The procession began with Mohamed Salah failing with three attempts – one clipping the crossbar – and Gakpo and Wataru Endo also not able to add to the score.

Gakpo, one of the better performers out on the left, thought he had doubled the lead when he fired home a rebound from one of James Trafford’s eight first-half saves but referee Paul Tierney ruled Nunez had fouled Charlie Taylor.

Liverpool continued to plug away but when a simple one-two between Harvey Elliott and Ryan Gravenberch saw the latter side-foot home early in the second half, the offside Salah was in Trafford’s eye-line and Tierney ruled it out after a VAR referral.

That was Burnley’s cue to fight back, with a Jordan Beyer shot deflected over and Sander Berge effort bundled well wide.

Burnley’s worst miss saw Johan Gudmundsson plant a far-post free header over a half-empty goal, although fellow substitute Jacob Bruun Larsen should have done better when Endo passed straight to him 30 yards out.

The improvement of Liverpool’s midfield by the arrival of Dominik Szoboszlai and Curtis Jones saw the former unable to turn in the latter’s header at the far post.

Liverpool’s attempts to manage the game with Newcastle at home on New Year’s Day offered Burnley some encouragement and Trent Alexander-Arnold whistled a left-footed shot just wide to remind them of the threat the visitors still carried.

That was underlined by Jota firing home an angled shot in the 90th minute and Klopp’s fist pumps in front of a travelling support singing “Liverpool top of the league” showed how important that goal was.

Liverpool moved top of the Premier League after Darwin Nunez ended his goal drought in a 2-0 success at second-bottom Burnley.

Nunez fired Jurgen Klopp’s men into a sixth-minute lead at Turf Moor with his first strike in 13 matches in all competitions before substitute Diogo Jota sealed victory late on with his 50th goal for the club.

Mohamed Salah hit the crossbar and Harvey Elliott saw his second-half strike ruled out for offside with the score still 1-0, while Jacob Bruun Larsen almost snatched an equaliser for the Clarets.

Victory for the Reds lifted them two points above Arsenal, who host West Ham on Thursday, while lowly Burnley are five points from safety following a 14th defeat of the season.

Chris Wood retuned to haunt Newcastle with a stunning hat-trick as Nottingham Forest handed new boss Nuno Espirito Santo the first Premier League victory of his reign.

Wood, who joined Forest from the Magpies in January, produced two fine second-half finishes to secure a 3-1 comeback success at St James’ Park.

Newcastle went ahead through Alexander Isak’s 23rd-minute penalty but slipped to a sixth defeat in seven games in all competitions after Wood tapped home Anthony Elanga’s cross just before the break and went on to complete his treble in style.

Forest remain two points above the relegation zone after 18th-placed Luton pulled off a 3-2 success at bottom club Sheffield United thanks to two late own goals.

Blades pair Jack Robinson and Anis Ben Slimane each turned the ball into their own goal during the final 14 minutes of a chaotic clash at Bramall Lane.

Chris Wilder’s hosts had looked set for a vital three points after second-half strikes from Oli McBurnie and Anel Ahmedhodzic overturned Alfie Doughty’s 17th-minute opener.

In-form Bournemouth continued their remarkable resurgence by moving into the top half of the table thanks to a thumping 3-0 victory over Fulham.

Justin Kluivert put the Cherries ahead just before half-time at Vitality Stadium before Dominic Solanke’s eighth goal in seven games – a penalty after Joao Palhinha brought down Antoine Semenyo – doubled the lead.

Substitute Luis Sinisterra sealed an emphatic success late on as Andoni Iraola’s hosts made it 19 points from the last 21 available.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has played down fears of a left-back crisis after Kostas Tsimikas joined Andy Robertson on the injured list.

The Greece international broke his collarbone in the 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal after a challenge from Bukayo Saka saw him collide with his manager in the technical area before falling heavily.

With Robertson, who has been out since October with a dislocated shoulder which required surgery, still a few weeks away from returning, it leaves utility man Joe Gomez, the central defender who has been filling in at right-back to give Trent Alexander-Arnold a break, as the only realistic option.

Even left winger Luis Diaz, who has occupied the role this season as more of an attacking option when Liverpool were chasing the game, is an injury doubt after sustaining a knee problem against the Gunners.

The 18-year-old Luke Chambers has made Europa League and Carabao Cup appearances this season, but is unlikely to be given the responsibility at Burnley on Boxing Day, at home to Newcastle or in the FA Cup away to Arsenal, but may have to provide some support.

“Can Joe play all the games now until I don’t know when? I don’t know, we’ll have to see,” said Klopp.

“Robbo will be back (next month) and Kostas will be definitely out for a long while. I didn’t have time to think it through yet, but it is really tough for us now.

“You have injuries sometimes and you have to accept all of them, but a broken collarbone is really bad because it takes so long to heal.

“Robbo had a different injury, but it takes a long time to recover as well. We all know we need luck in these moments and now we have to just make sure we put Joey in cotton wool and make sure he is ready for the game.”

The injuries to Tsimikas and Diaz adds to an already lengthy list which includes Robertson, Joel Matip (ACL), Thiago Alcantara (hip), Diogo Jota (hamstring), Alexis Mac Allister (knee) and Stefan Bajcetic (calf).

Even with the January Premier League break, Liverpool still have at least seven matches – eight if they progress in the FA Cup – in the next month with a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham adding to the congestion at an already busy period.

But Klopp has increasingly fewer options to rotate and with Burnley buoyed by their win at Fulham, he knows he cannot afford to take their trip to Turf Moor lightly.

“I don’t need the Burnley result to understand their quality,” he added.

“Burnley could have easily had much more points because they had so many good spells in the games where they never saw the situation off, because of young players and some decisions.

“If they could finish these situations off they would definitely win more games. I respect Vinny (Vincent Kompany) a lot because he keeps pushing his idea through.

“I’m impressed with what they are doing and we know if you win once and are coming back to your home stadium you want to win again, and that is what we expect from them.”

Vincent Kompany believes Rebecca Welch’s performance during Burnley’s 2-0 win over Fulham was a “milestone moment” after she became the first woman to take charge of a Premier League match on Saturday.

Wilson Odobert’s curled strike and Sander Berge’s magnificent solo effort confirmed Burnley’s first win since their 5-0 victory over Sheffield United on December 2.

Welch made history having previously refereed an FA Cup fixture in 2022 and an EFL match in 2021.

Kompany, who spoke to Welch at full-time, said: “I wanted to congratulate her because it’s a big moment.

“After the game it’s fair to say that it’s a milestone moment and may there be more, and the best thing will always be when someone is judged on merit.

“But you have to have a first and this is it, so well done (to her) and I’m happy to be part of this moment.”

Victory ended a run of three games without a win for Burnley, and Kompany credited his side’s decisions in key moments while also talking up Berge and Odobert’s quality for both of their goals.

He said: “It was a really good performance. In the key moments the team did well and we were able to remain dangerous in most phases of play whether we had the ball, defending, the loose balls.

“It helped us have a performance and gave us a chance.

“We shifted our feet quicker, we had the intent to go forward and be dangerous. When the ball gets to the final third, it’s the individual quality of the players and they did really well.”

The towering Berge received the ball on halfway and was not challenged by any Fulham player before he drove forward to add Burnley’s second.

It was a source of frustration for Fulham boss Marco Silva, who called on his Fulham to be more ruthless, admitting that the defending for Berge’s goal was not good enough.

He said: “It’s a disappointing result for us. We are not ruthless enough at this level and we were punished by that.

“We were dominant in the first half and we created chances and we should score.

“The second goal, it can not happen. We let the midfielder run with the ball without opposition. We were completely out of balance in that moment.”

Burnley scored two superb goals to give Vincent Kompany’s side a deserved victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League.

Two long-range strikes from Wilson Odobert and Sander Berge gave Burnley their first win since December 2.

The 2-0 score-line meant a second straight league defeat for Marco Silva’s Fulham following last week’s 3-0 setback at Newcastle.

Burnley were camped in Fulham’s half in the early stages and created a chance in the sixth minute.

Brazil international Vitinho tucked inside and played a whipped cross to the head of Lyle Foster whose effort sailed over the crossbar.

Fulham went close themselves in the 13th minute after a moment of brilliance from Harry Wilson.

The tricky Welshman picked up the ball on the edge of Burnley’s box, sliced through the defence before his outside of the boot shot was saved by James Trafford.

Two more quickfire chances through Timothy Castagne and Alex Iwobi showed the Cottagers’ intent but Fulham missed the quality of the suspended Raul Jimenez.

Referee Rebecca Welch became the first woman to take charge of a Premier League match and she brandished a yellow card to Calvin Bassey after the defender struck Josh Brownhill with his hand.

And the chance of the match came in first half added time. Andreas Pereira put a wide free-kick into the danger zone and after a scramble in the box, Iwobi’s strike was cleared off the line to keep it level.

Burnley came out the blocks fast in the second half and took a 1-0 lead after 47 minutes.

A neat piece of play deep into Fulham’s half saw the ball at the feet of Odobert who produced a wonderful, curved strike into the right-hand corner of Bernd Leno’s goal.

And after 66 minutes the Clarets stunned Fulham and took a 2-0 lead.

The towering Berge retrieved the ball on half-way and drove into space. He entered the edge of Fulham’s box where he rifled his strike past Leno to double his team’s lead.

Actor Hugh Grant, a Fulham fan, was in attendance to witness the two festive blockbusters which gave the Clarets all three points.

And his team failed to produce a positive reaction late on and looked off the pace during six added minutes.

Rebecca Welch will create history on Saturday by becoming the first female to referee a Premier League match.

Welch will complete her remarkable journey from the playing fields of north east England to the top flight when she takes charge of Fulham against Burnley at Craven Cottage.

The 40-year-old from Washington in Tyne and Wear was still working in an administrative capacity for the NHS when she began her refereeing career in 2010.

Welch gained her badges through the Durham County Football Association and climbed through the ranks after taking charge of university and Sunday league games.

Just over a decade later – and two-and-a-half years after becoming the first woman to referee an English Football League match – Welch’s decisions will be scrutinised by millions of fans around the world.

It is no place for the faint-hearted, but Welch, who became the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League game in November, breaks new ground with the backing of Burnley boss Vincent Kompany and Fulham counterpart Marco Silva.

“It’s certainly a benchmark and milestone,” Kompany said ahead of his side’s trip to London.

“I think she’ll take great pride in having done it herself. There’s a lot of women – in general, but in the game as well specifically – who will see this as a way to achieve at the highest level.

“I am always pro any kind of extension anyway because what it does is widen the pool of talent.

“We need access to all the available talent, the best referees in the best league in the world.”

Both Kompany and Silva are adamant that their players will behave no differently with Welch in the middle rather than a male colleague.

Kompany said: “It shouldn’t be really about the official or the manager. It should be about the players and, in that sense, I can’t see why we wouldn’t have that normality.

“Of course the story is bigger and deserves to be bigger, but once the whistle blows every actor on the day will want the players to be highlighted.”

Silva said: “For us it will be a normal situation. Of course it will be the first time so everyone has to talk about it, but when the game starts it is going to be another Premier League game, with people with good ability to be a manager, a player or to be a referee.

“We will not even talk about it before the match because for us she is the ref, like she was the fourth official some weeks ago in our game against Manchester United, and for us it was a normal situation.

“We have to always respect all the officials and she’s going to be welcomed. She got this chance because she deserves it for sure and she has the ability to be at the level she is going to be.”

Vincent Kompany has welcomed referee Rebecca Welch’s “milestone” appointment and insists his Burnley players will not modify their behaviour when she takes charge of their game with Fulham.

Welch will break new ground once again at Craven Cottage on Saturday, the 40-year-old from Tyne and Wear having in November become the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League match.

“It’s certainly a benchmark and milestone,” Burnley boss Kompany said of Welch’s top-flight bow in the middle.

“I think she’ll take great pride in having done it herself. There’s a lot of women – in general, but in the game as well specifically – who will see this as a way to achieve at the highest level.

“I am always pro any kind of extension anyway because what it does is widen the pool of talent.

“We need access to all the available talent, the best referees in the best league in the world.”

Kompany insists the attitude of his players will be the same at Fulham as if a male referee was in the middle.

He said: “I wouldn’t allow it (be different) anyway, but in general it shouldn’t. Whether that’s a good thing or not, I don’t know.

“But in the end we want to win our games, the opposition want to win their games, and it’s about the players on the pitch.

“It shouldn’t be really about the official or the manager. It should be about the players and, in that sense, I can’t see why we wouldn’t have that normality.

“Of course the story is bigger and deserves to be bigger, but once the whistle blows every actor on the day will want the players to be highlighted.”

There is another landmark refereeing appointment on Boxing Day as Sam Allison will become the first black man to officiate a top-flight game in 15 years.

Allison will take charge of Sheffield United’s home game against Luton, following in the footsteps of Uriah Rennie who was the last black referee to take charge of a Premier League game in 2008.

Asked if it was a sign of changing times in football, Kompany said: “I think so. They are little milestones, but what you have to look at is not necessarily the person itself.

“Behind it there is a lot of people who don’t think it’s possible and that they can’t achieve it. By seeing those examples they will say ‘I could be the next one or do something positive’.

“To give access to opportunities with dreams is important at every level of society.

“What I would love to see is multi-coloured and multi-ethnic boardrooms that make decisions about what we’re going to discuss during the week.”

Sean Dyche enjoyed a standing ovation on his return to Burnley before his in-form Everton side silenced Turf Moor with a 2-0 win which increases the Clarets’ relegation worries at the foot of the Premier League table.

Dyche was back at the ground where he spent the best part of 10 years in charge, twice earning promotion and keeping Burnley in the top flight against the odds before being sacked in April 2022 towards the end of their last, ultimately unsuccessful, battle against the drop.

His Everton side are not that far from the current relegation fight but only as a result of a 10-point penalty for breaching financial rules, and first-half goals from Amadou Onana and Michael Keane made it four straight wins. They may sit 16th, but would be ninth without the penalty.

Keane’s 25th minute goal was his first of the season on his first appearance since October 21. Alongside him was Ben Godfrey, making his first league start of the season in a side hastily reshuffled following late withdrawals.

“I was delighted,” Dyche said. “We’re a side pieced together yesterday morning. We lost Myko (Vitaliy Mykolenko) with a tight groin and because we’ve got injuries and suspensions we can’t risk players so we had to change everything in a morning.

“Their acceptance to go and deliver a performance that can win was very pleasing.”

While Vincent Kompany used his programme notes to welcome Dyche back to Turf Moor, it was notable that the man who sacked him, chairman Alan Pace, did not mention Dyche in his own. But Dyche said he had no issues with his old boss, and he was grateful for the reception he got.

“I saw Alan Pace this morning, in the hotel where we were staying, and said hello,” said Dyche. “Football is a weird business, I didn’t throw my dummy out, I’ve done my bit, done my years at Burnley and I shook his hand and said have a nice season, crack on.

“I met Vinny at the end of last season and told him how impressed I was with his work. Said how he hadn’t lost the fabric of it but changed it to his own liking. We can all moan about everyone and everything but people have a lot on their plate. I just try and take care of mine and get on with it.”

For Burnley it was another damaging defeat that leaves them off the bottom of the table on goal difference alone, with only eight points from 17 games.

Kompany’s side played well before falling behind and improved in the second half but rarely threatened Jordan Pickford’s goal.

“We’ve been done on two set plays,” Kompany said. “There’s not too much to say about the overall defending and attacking play. It was more about both boxes today.”

The big positive for Burnley was the return of Lyle Foster, who was back among the substitutes after a period away dealing with mental health issues, and started the second half for his first appearance since October.

“It was a surprise to us,” Kompany said. “We hadn’t expected that he would be able to return but it was the opinion of the experts that keeping him in his natural environment, football is part of his life, is something he needs to do to be happy.

“Forty-five minutes was roughly what he was able to do physically and the second half showed how much of an impact he can have. But it’s important to say this is part of his process of getting back.”

Sean Dyche deepened the relegation worries of his old club Burnley as his return to Turf Moor ended in a 2-0 win for Everton.

Dyche, who twice guided the Clarets to promotion and kept them up against the odds during a decade at the club, promised to show no sentimentality 20 months after his sacking amid their last, unsuccessful, battle against the drop, and first-half goals from Amadou Onana and Michael Keane silenced Turf Moor.

They proved all Everton needed as they won four league games in a row for the first time in three years, their eighth league win of the season already matching last year’s tally as they continue to climb away from trouble. Without their 10-point penalty, Everton would be up to ninth.

Burnley chairman Alan Pace, the man who sacked Dyche in April 2022, failed to welcome Dyche back in his programme notes but the one-time ‘Ginger Mourinho’ is still loved in Burnley, where the Royal Dyche pub proudly bares his name, and he emerged from the tunnel to a standing ovation from all sides.

Vincent Kompany, who brought Burnley back to the Premier League with a 101-point campaign in the Championship, has rebuilt the club in a different image. Having taken four points from their last three games to match the return from the previous 13, Burnley started well, keeping Everton pegged back.

But the results they desperately need are not there to match, and although Dwight McNeil, one of three former Burnley players in the Everton 11, spurned a glorious chance Everton needed only 19 minutes to take the lead.

James Trafford did well to keep out Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s close-range header but Burnley failed to defend the resulting corner and it was all too easy for Onana to get away from Josh Brownhill and power in at the far post.

Jacob Bruun Larsen and Jay Rodriguez both saw shots blocked in the Everton box, and six minutes later it was 2-0 to the visitors.

Jordan Pickford hit a long free-kick forward and James Tarkowski headed it down for another former Claret, Keane, to try his luck from range. Trafford parried, but the ball struck Dara O’Shea and fell kindly for Keane, in for the suspended Jarrad Branthwaite, to sweep home his first goal of the season.

Burnley’s early promise dissipated in a silent Turf Moor. They did threaten again just before half-time but Ben Godfrey, making only his second Premier League appearance of the season, got a vital toe to Vitinho’s cross before Zeki Amdouni.

At half-time Kompany turned to Lyle Foster, the South Africa forward surprisingly named among the substitutes after a recent absence to deal with mental health issues. The 23-year-old replaced Rodriguez to make his first appearance since October 21.

Burnley were better after the break, but only managed to create half-chances. Sander Berge had an early shot blocked before Foster failed to get enough power on his effort.

After Trafford failed to clear a corner and Keane had a close-range shot blocked on the line, Amdouni offered a more direct threat at the other end when he eyed up Pickford’s far post from 25 yards out, forcing the England goalkeeper to stretch and push it wide.

Berge rattled the crossbar in the 79th minute, though his shot from the edge of the box would not have counted with the flag up.

It was that old familiar story for Burnley, who dominated possession and had 14 shots at goal but ended the day empty-handed, stuck on eight points from 17 games and off the bottom of the table on goal difference alone. Boos greeted the final whistle.

Rebecca Welch is not the first footballer to have told a referee just how they should do their job – but a decade later, it is her own decisions which are now set to be front and centre in the Premier League.

On December 23, Welch will break new ground once again when she takes charge of Fulham against Burnley at Craven Cottage.

Yet but for taking one of her friends to task, Welch, 40, might never have given refereeing a go herself.

“I played football and didn’t even think about refereeing until one of my really good friends, who is a referee, refereed us,” she said in an interview with the Independent in November ahead of becoming the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League match for Fulham against Manchester United.

“I spent the whole game telling her how to do her job! Her response was, ‘If you think it’s that easy, give it a go’. That’s how it happened and 10 years later, here I am.”

Welch’s love of the game stemmed from playing, but it was with the whistle where she made her mark.

At the start of her refereeing career in 2010, Welch, who is from Washington in Tyne and Wear, was still working in an administrative capacity for the NHS.

After gaining her badges through the Durham County Football Association, Welch began taking charge of university games as well as in Sunday leagues.

It was, though, not long before she took it up on a full-time basis and soon climbed through the ranks.

Welch has regularly refereed high-profile games in the Women’s Super League and took charge of the 2017 and 2020 Women’s FA Cup finals at Wembley.

She has also officiated in the Women’s Champions League, the latest fixture being Benfica’s 1-0 win over Frankfurt on December 13.

Added to FIFA’s elite list of international officials during December 2020, Welch was part of the team at the 2022 Women’s Euros as well as this year’s Women’s World Cup, which included refereeing hosts Australia in their last-16 win over Denmark.

Welch is also no stranger to firsts in the men’s game.

In 2021, she was the first woman to be appointed to referee a match in the Football League for the Sky Bet League Two fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale.

Walsh later took on matches in the Championship – she was in charge of Hull’s 4-1 win over Rotherham on November 28 – and also the third round of the FA Cup.

Despite Welch now set to find herself in the spotlight, with every decision under the microscope at Craven Cottage on December 23, she is not about to let anything distract her from just getting on with the job, according to referee’s chief Howard Webb.

“Rebecca is a really calm, focused individual on the field. She does command a lot of respect in a pretty understated way. When you meet her, she’s got a presence about her,” Webb said.

“She has a good reading of the game, she is an accurate decision maker, a good athlete on the field too and has really worked hard to get to this position over several years.

“She has good reading of the game, good subtle management of the players as well and I have got no doubt she will show all of those qualities at Fulham on the 23rd.”

Rebecca Welch will become the first female referee in the Premier League when she takes charge of Fulham against Burnley on December 23.

Welch became a referee in 2010, balancing the role alongside her job in the NHS.

In 2021, she was the first woman to be appointed to referee a match in the Football League for the Sky Bet League Two fixture between Harrogate and Port Vale.

Welch, who comes from Washington in Tyne and Wear, was also the first woman to referee matches in the Championship and third round of the FA Cup.

Last month she became the first female to act as fourth official in a Premier League game as part of the officiating team for Fulham against Manchester United.

During her career, Welch has also officiated high-profile matches in the Women’s Super League, twice refereeing the Women’s FA Cup final and she has also taken charge of international matches, including at the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

Vincent Kompany said Burnley will need more outstanding individual performances in order to survive in the Premier League after goalkeeper James Trafford put in a superb display in his team’s 1-1 draw against Brighton at the Amex Stadium.

The visitors took the lead against the run of play courtesy of a brilliant strike from Wilson Odobert, taking advantage as three Brighton players stood off him and unleashing a wicked drive that nicked off James Milner and flew over goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen into the top corner.

At that stage, Trafford had already saved well from Milner and Pascal Gross, and he continued to repel the home side’s attempts to claw the game back, racing from his goal to keep out Simon Adingra with a sprawling block in the second half.

Burnley were finally breached when Adingra nodded in a cross from the excellent Gross minutes later, but Trafford would save his best until last, first showing outstanding reflexes to beat away a header from substitute Jack Hinshelwood in stoppage time before flinging himself towards the top corner to somehow fingertip Karou Mitoma’s volley over the bar.

“The game demanded it at the end,” said Kompany. “You don’t come to these places and get a result without moments like this.

“It’s in the bank for him (Trafford), in terms of having come through this. He needs to keep working on becoming the best he can be. We’re very fortunate to have two very good goalkeepers.

“His season has been no different to everyone else in the team. He’s improved throughout the season, shown good signs. He’s been more and more consistent and ultimately at this level consistency is the key word.

“We have more and more players who perform at a consistent level. In games like today, without someone having an outstanding performance, you never get results.”

Burnley were seeking just their second away win of the season but despite defending bravely after taking the lead they were left to rue more dropped points on the road, though the gap to Everton in 17th place has been cut to two points.

“We’re not at a level yet where we can compete every week with teams like Brighton on an equal level,” said Kompany.

“There’s a tremendous belief in me that the club is going in the right direction.

“Our biggest, unique strength is it’s an elite club in terms of the attitude, the standard and the habits. I would put us against anybody. The amount of belief and resilience we’ve got. It’s a special club that really lives.

“It’s not for no reason that after such a tough start, you still see progression, you still see people getting better. That won’t stop.”

Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi reflected that there is still a way to go before his side can consider themselves amongst the league’s top bracket.

“I consider my team a very good team, I have big, big confidence,” he said.

“There isn’t anyone more than me who believes in my players. But we are not a top team yet, because a top team wins today, against Sheffield (United) and against Fulham (both games finished 1-1 at the Amex).

“Winning these three games, we would be third in the table. These three games, we played very well, and we deserved to win.

“Why didn’t we win these three games? Maybe because we are not a top team yet. Maybe the coach of Brighton is not a top, top coach yet.”