All Whites striker Chris Wood grabbed a 79th-minute winner as Burnley came from behind to beat Aston Villa 3-2 at Turf Moor in the Premier League on Thursday (NZ time).
Villa could have put the game to bed before the break after opening up the Burnley defence with ease but Clarets keeper Nick Pope was again in inspired form as he kept his team in the game.
Ollie Watkins put Villa ahead in the 14th minute with a deft finish to turn in a low cross from Matt Targett before Pope set about keeping Dean Smith's side at bay.
The England number two keeper kept out a blast from Bertrand Traore before blocking a Watkins effort with Ross Barkley hitting the bar after volleying the loose ball.
Villa were toying with the Burnley defence and in the final moments before halftime Pope was called into action by Tyrone Mings and Targett.
Prior to the match, Villa had gone on to win each of their nine Premier League games in which they had opened the scoring, while Burnley were the only top-flight side yet to recover a single point after conceding the first goal.
Yet both those runs came to an end in an unexpected second half.
Burnley skipper Ben Mee put the Clarets level after the interval with a thundering header at the back post from an Ashley Westwood cross.
The outstanding Jack Grealish restored the visitors' advantage, though, in the 68th minute with a smart finish after a clever exchange with Douglas Luiz.
But Burnley, who ended Liverpool's 68-match unbeaten home run last week, fought back again as Dwight McNeil made it 2-2 with a low cross-shot from the left which went through a crowded area into the bottom corner.
Winger McNeil turned provider in the 79th minute, whipping in a cross from the left flank which Wood met with a perfectly angled header.
Burnley, 15th in the table, moved on to 22 points and Villa dropped to 10th on 29.
"We got the equaliser and had grit and determination to come back again. It was fantastic from the lads," said New Zealander Wood.
"It's all about character in our team and we've got an abundance of it. We like to show people what we are about and what Burnley are about," he said.
Smith was left to rue his side's failure to convert those first-half opportunities.
"The game should've been over at halftime, the chances that we created, they were quality chances," he said.
"Pope has made some really good saves but the game should've been out of sight," Smith says. "I just said to the players, it's very tough to win any game in this league and we have started the season so well but you can't get three points the way we played tonight."
Man United stunned by home loss to bottom club Sheffield United
Manchester United suffered a shock 2-1 home defeat by the Premier League's bottom club Sheffield United on Thursday (NZ time) to leave Manchester City alone at the top of the table.
Substitute Oliver Burke grabbed the 74th-minute winner after Harry Maguire had cancelled out Kean Bryan's first-half opener for the Yorkshire side who had won just one league game all season before their trip to Old Trafford.
City are top on 41 points, a point ahead of United who have played one game more.
Sheffield United went ahead in the 23rd minute when Bryan headed in John Fleck's corner with United keeper David De Gea flapping at the cross, although replays suggested he may have been pushed by Sheffield striker Billy Sharp.
United's frustration over that decision was amplified when Anthony Martial had the ball in the net but the effort was ruled out for a foul by Harry Maguire on keeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side were lacking any of the zip and invention of their recent good run of form but managed to get on level terms when their Sheffield born captain Harry Maguire met an Alex Telles corner with an unstoppable header.
United paid the price from hesitant defending, however, when Burke's low drive deflected off Axel Tuanzebe and crashed in off the underside of the crossbar.
Tuchel's Chelsea reign starts with dull Wolves stalemate
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was left with much to ponder as his first match in charge ended in a dreary 0-0 home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League on Thursday (NZ time).
A day after replacing Frank Lampard in the Stamford Bridge hot seat, Tuchel watched his side dominate possession but offer little goal threat until the later stages.
Chelsea strung together almost 900 passes against a defensive Wolves but the vast majority of them were risk-free and easy meat for the visitors well-drilled rearguard.
An entirely forgettable first half at a sodden Stamford Bridge was followed by a more lively second period with Chelsea going close to giving Tuchel a dream start on a few occasions.
Ben Chilwell blasted a great chance over the bar and Callum Hudson-Odoi, a surprise starter, had a deflected shot saved.
Chelsea's poor run of form, which cost club great Lampard his job on Monday, continued and they have now managed to win only twice in their last nine league games.
Former Borussia Dortmund and Paris St Germain coach Tuchel sent on Mason Mount, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham late on and they livened things up but Wolves held firm to leave Chelsea in eighth place.
Tuchel, twice a French league winner with PSG, rung the changes for his first selection, dropping Lampard favourites Mount, Reece James and Abraham, and opting for experience with Olivier Giroud, Jorginho and Cesar Azpilicueta all starting.
The German clearly called for more daring after the break but it took Chelsea a long time to start to threaten, with Hudson-Odoi their most likely creator in a wide right role.
Reuters
