Scott Parker hailed his Burnley players for delivering a statement result in his first game at the helm as they thrashed Luton Town 4-1 in their Championship opener.

Parker took over as Clarets boss in July following Vincent Kompany's move to Bayern Munich, tasked with masterminding an immediate return to the Premier League after they finished 19th last season.

His reign began with a trip to Kenilworth Road to face Luton, who were relegated alongside Burnley last term and have also been tipped to compete for promotion.

Goals from Josh Brownhill, Wilson Odobert, Dara O'Shea and Vitinho saw the visitors record an eye-catching win, taking them second in the early-season Championship standings, behind Sheffield Wednesday.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Parker expressed pride in his players for the way they carried out his gameplan, saying: "A lot of hard work goes in, but you never really know until you reach this point where you are. 

"This week has been intense in terms of our gameplan and how to get a result.

"I've got nothing but praise. As a coach it was very enjoyable to see. This is a big result, it's a tough place to come. 

"We had to show a different side to us in certain moments. I said to the players, at times, we're going to have to revert back to men. I was proud of that."

Luton boss Rob Edwards, meanwhile, was left to lament defensive shortcomings after seeing a youthful Hatters backline cut open time and again. 

"I'm not going to sugar-coat it. We have to deal with our vulnerabilities better," Edwards said.

"There wasn't much in the game first half, we conceded from two poor moments and then obviously the scoreline affects everyone's emotions.

"We'll progress, get better, some key players will return and we'll get one or two in as well. We've got to accept it and appreciate we're going to improve in the coming weeks."

Burnley kept their faint Premier League survival hopes alive with a 2-1 victory over Brentford at Turf Moor.

Brentford had to play most of the match with 10 men after Sergio Reguilon was sent off with just nine minutes on the clock for a push on Vitinho inside the penalty area.

Following the fastest red card of the Premier League season, Burnley took the lead from the resulting spot-kick as Jacob Bruun Larsen converted from 12 yards.

Burnley looked to have sealed their first win in 2024 and first since a 2-0 victory over Fulham in December when David Datro Fofana slotted past Mark Flekken from inside the box to make it 2-0 but they were made to sweat for the points when Kristoffer Ajer pulled a goal back in the 83rd minute with a smart header.

Brentford thought they had snatched an equaliser at the death when Shandon Baptiste’s cross ended up in the net but referee Darren Bond blew for a foul on keeper Arijanet Muric as Vincent Kompany’s side hung on to move within eight points of safety.

In another crucial game in the relegation battle, Luke Berry scored a late equaliser to earn Luton a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Nottingham Forest.

Forest hit the front in the 34th minute after Morgan Gibbs-White floated a cross to the onrushing Chris Wood who volleyed home from close range.

Luton looked to have equalised before the break when Teden Mengi bundled home but referee Darren England cut celebrations short after the ball hit the defender’s arm in the process.

Forest had chances to put the game to bed and came close to a second when Anthony Elanga had an effort cleared off the line.

The Hatters struck in the 89th minute to secure a valuable point when Berry poked home from Reece Burke’s nod down inside the box to prevent Forest pulling away from the bottom three and keep the gap at three points.