Leicester 4-2 Burnley: Foxes go top with entertaining victory

Leicester moved top of the early Premier League table with an entertaining 4-2 victory over Burnley.

Chris Wood gave Burnley an early lead (10) with a smart finish at the back post but they held on to it for just 10 minutes before Harvey Barnes calmly rolled the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

Erik Pieters accidentally diverted a low Timothy Castagne cross past his own 'keeper Nick Pope to hand Leicester the lead four minutes after half-time, which James Justin doubled from close range 11 minutes later.

Burnley refused to lie down and got back into it via the head of debutant Jimmy Dunne (73), only for Dennis Praet's rocket (79) to give the Foxes a much-needed cushion going into the final stages.

And the margin of the victory is enough for Leicester to go top of the table on goal difference for the time being, while Burnley are one of nine clubs without a point, albeit having played one less game than most.

How Leicester fought their way to the summit

Wood opened his account for the season in style to give the visitors the lead. Charlie Taylor's ball into the back post was taken down by Wood, who shrugged off Justin and fired the ball into the bottom corner.

But that lead did not last long as Leicester equalised with their first real chance. Jamie Vardy kept the ball alive, played in Castagne, who in turn found Barnes on the edge of the box. He calmly rolled the ball into the bottom corner and well out of Pope's reach.

Barnes visibly grew in confidence after the goal and was the Foxes' main threat, picking the ball up and driving at Phil Bardsley. He had already fired over the bar once before he forced Pope into a strong save, driving in a low effort from the left that was met by an outstretched glove.

Robbie Brady had a volley saved by Kasper Schmeichel before going off with a rib injury as the Foxes put Burnley under pressure, but found a determined defence tough to break down.

And it was a fortunate goal that gave them the lead five minutes after the break. Youri Tielemans' defence-splitting ball found Castagne behind the defence and although his low cross was meant for Vardy, it clipped the boot of Pieters and trickled into the back of the net.

Praet had spurned a good opportunity over the bar before Justin opened his Premier League account just after the hour mark. Ayose Perez's low ball took two deflections and found its way to the full-back on the six-yard box, who swept it home.

But Burnley are not the sort of side to give up and they fought their way back into the game via the head of debutant Dunne, who rose highest at the back post to direct a free-kick into the corner of the net.

It fell to Praet to finally put the game to bed for the hosts and he did so in some style, rifling a ball into the top corner from the edge of the area as the space opened up.

Wood did hit the post for Burnley in the final throes of normal time and Sean Dyche will not be too angry with how his injury-hit squad acquitted themselves in their first league game.

For Leicester, their first back-to-back league wins since January point to another season challenging in the upper echelons of the Premier League table.

Man of the match - Harvey Barnes

Harvey Barnes netted Leicester's early equaliser and was a constant menace to the Burnley defence.

He had the beating of Phil Bardsley and was constantly running at him with the ball, forcing Nick Pope into a good save late in the first half.

Barnes has often struggling for consistency but his start to the season suggests those difficulties are behind him.

And his boss Rodgers was quick to heap praise on his young winger after the game.

"Harvey Barnes was outstanding tonight, he keeps on getting into areas you want him to and is a big talent," Rodgers said.

"He had wonderful ability, great running power, lasts the whole game, takes you up the pitch from deep possession and is improving all the time."

What the managers said

Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers said: "Burnley are a very difficult side to play against. They went ahead but we kept attacking the game and looked very good going forward.

"We are a bit patched up at the back but Wilfred Ndidi was incredible stepping in there from midfield.

"So I felt we were very good going forward and kept on going until the end to get a good three points."

Burnley boss Sean Dyche said: "I'm pleased with a lot of aspects of our performance, but obviously you don't want to concede four goals.

"It was a really strange game. We had as many open chances as they did, but we've only managed to take two of ours.

"I've always marvelled at the spirit in the group. We don't go over easy and we were still creating chances at the end. That is something that has served us well in the Premier League."

Opta stats

• Leicester have won their first two games of a Premier League campaign for the first time since their title-winning campaign of 2015-16, while this is the first time they will end the day top of the Premier League since the final day of that season.

• Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers recorded his 100th victory in the Premier League, becoming the 23rd different manager to 100 wins in the competition. Rodgers is the fourth-quickest British manager to reach the milestone (210 games), after Alex Ferguson (162 games), Kenny Dalglish (197) and Kevin Keegan (209).

• Burnley have lost consecutive Premier League games for the first time since January - prior to these two defeats, the Clarets had only lost one of their previous 15 in the competition (W8 D6).
• Leicester midfielder Harvey Barnes has been directly involved in five goals in his last three Premier League games against Burnley (two goals and three assists).

What's next?

Leicester host Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night before a difficult trip to the Etihad Stadium next Sunday to take on Manchester City, live on Sky Sports. Burnley, meanwhile, travel to Millwall in the cup on Wednesday night and host Southampton on Saturday night, which is also live on Sky Sports.

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