Two exciting coaches boasting exciting teams went up against each other at Turf Moor on Friday night, as Burnley and Sunderland battled it out at the top of the Championship table. But neither side could find a way through.
Scott Parker is aiming for a third career promotion from the Championship as a manager, having achieved the feat with Fulham and Bournemouth in previous years.
Meanwhile, Regis Le Bris is looking to achieve a first in his first season managing in the Championship; what would be an incredible achievement for the popular Sunderland boss.
On Friday though, Wilson Isidor missed two penalties for Sunderland as the game ended 0-0, with Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford stealing all the headlines for his double penalty save on the night.
There’s certainly a sense of loss for the Black Cats who had even more chances to win the game, and to move onto level points with league leaders Leeds United ahead of the weekend.
Scott Parker relieved with ‘huge point’ after Burnley draw vs Sunderland
Speaking after the game, Le Bris painted a frustrated picture, whilst Parker was quite elated. He spoke to Burnley Express about how massive the point was for his side in the overall race for promotion this season.
He said: “It’s a massive point for us, I think, in the scheme of where the game was and the dynamics of the game. I think you’re coming away thinking it’s a huge point for us.”
Given the differing manager reactions after the game, it’s clear that Parker feels his side may have gotten away with one after Isidor’s missed penalties.
Parker went on to add: “I think it’s fair to say in terms of us and where we sit psychologically at this moment as a group, this is a massive, massive point for us. And I think it may be one we look back on and go, that was an important one.”
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Scott Parker’s Burnley relief is a huge testament to Sunderland
The fact that Burnley and Trafford celebrated Friday’s draw like a win suggests that Sunderland were the better team and deserved more from the game.
And Le Bris also said that he thought his side dominated the game. He told the press after full-time: “It is a tough place here at Burnley and I think we did well.
“They started well and it was tough to manage their long balls behind our defence but I think after 20 minutes we solved many problems and started to dominate the game. That was the case in the second half as well and we only conceded one or two chances.”
Whilst a draw feels like dropped points because of those two penalty misses, Sunderland once again proved that they’re in the race for promotion on merit.
They outplayed a very strong and very expensive Burnley side on the night, doing so with the youngest side in the league and a brand new player in Enzo Le Fee who impressed on his Sunderland debut.
There’s certainly plenty of positives to take into the Derby County game on Tuesday night.