Huddersfield Town vs Burnley. Premier League.
The John Smith's StadiumAttendance24,095.
Thursday 4 January 2018 12:22, UK
Jeff Hendrick saw a strong penalty appeal waved away by referee Paul Tierney as Burnley and Huddersfield drew 0-0 for the second time in the Premier League this season.
There were few clear-cut chances for either side but Burnley will feel aggrieved at not being given a penalty on the hour mark when Hendrick seemed to be caught by Jonas Lossl's trailing leg after dribbling round him.
Former Huddersfield striker Nahki Wells almost came back to haunt his old employers late on but he saw his close-range effort blocked by Lossl meaning both teams had to settle for a point.
Thanks to results elsewhere, both teams remain in the same positions that they were in before kick-off with Burnley in seventh and Huddersfield 11th, six points clear of the relegation zone.
Only the current top four teams in the Premier League table have won more away points this season than Burnley and they made a strong start with Hendrick passing into an empty net before correctly being adjudged to be offside after 13 minutes.
Not long after, Johann Berg Gudmundsson had another good chance for the visitors after he slalomed his way into the penalty area before screwing a shot wide under pressure from two Huddersfield defenders.
Gudmundsson was having plenty of joy against Scott Malone on the right wing and after skipping past him again he teed up Steven Defour for a shot on the edge of the area with the Belgian side-footing a shot inches wide of the far post.
Burnley continued to look the more threatening side after the break and Scott Arfield drew a decent stop from Lossl after playing a neat one-two with Hendrick on the edge of the area.
Then with an hour played the game's most contentious moment arrived when Hendrick rounded Lossl before going down under his challenge. Despite strong Burnley appeals, the referee opted not to award a spot-kick and decided against booking Hendrick for going to ground.
With only four minutes remaining, Wells, who joined Burnley from Huddersfield on Deadline Day in August, latched onto Sam Vokes' header but could not divert his shot on the stretch beyond Lossl.
Usually, it is Burnley's defensive players who stand out most but Johann Gudmundsson's attacking performance really caught the eye in what was a tight game.
The Iceland international absolutely terrorised Huddersfield's left-back Scott Malone in the first half with his dribbling and looked the most likely player to conjure up a moment of magic all afternoon.
Burnley created nine chances in total and Gudmundsson was responsible for six of them which highlights how influential he was.
David Wagner: "I haven't seen the video footage [of Burnley's penalty appeal] to be honest. I was too far away. Maybe we were lucky in this case but on many times this season we have been unlucky.
"It was a very tough game for us I'm very pleased with this point and a clean sheet as well. I think everyone can see why Burnley are 7th in the Premier League.
"They had the better chances and more chances so it was a point that we had to work very hard for but Burnley were the better team today."
Sean Dyche: "I don't think I need to say too much about it because hopefully everyone will see it and hopefully it will be shown again and again because it is impossible to not give us a penalty in my opinion.
"I'm in a league where penalties are given for all sorts of reasons and that is as blatant a penalty as you will see.
"I think what is peculiar about football at the minute is that players who go down in a diving manner get them. Jeff Hendrick hasn't done that, he's gone down in a really natural manner and hasn't got it.
"His back foot was clearly taken away from him and everyone on the pitch can see it apart from the most important person didn't."
Both teams are next in action on New Year's Day with Huddersfield facing Leicester City at the King Power while Burnley host Liverpool at Turf Moor.
