Burnley saw off late Norwich pressure to return to the top of the Championship and significantly boost their chances of automatic promotion with victory at Turf Moor.
Scott Parker’s side looked set to earn a comfortable win, with a 30th clean sheet of the league season, after first-half goals from Hannibal and Jaidon Anthony.
Jack Stacey’s close-range finish in the second half, just the 13th goal that the Clarets have conceded all season, set up a dramatic finish.
The hosts held on though to stretch their unbeaten league run to an incredible 29 matches, a result which sees them leapfrog Leeds and go three points above them.
Perhaps more importantly, Burnley are five points above third-placed Sheffield United as they look to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
Defeat for Norwich almost certainly ends their chances of a play-off place. They remain nine points off the top six with four matches left.
Burnley dominated before the break and were 2-0 up midway through the first half.
The Canaries’ deep block was first penetrated after 14 minutes, when a delightful chipped pass from Josh Cullen found Hannibal, who coolly finished past Angus Gunn.
The hosts doubled their lead shortly after. Josh Brownhill pounced on a poor Norwich free-kick deep in their own third, setting winger Anthony free.
His shot was heavily deflected off Shane Duffy into the net, but was just reward for Burnley’s control of the game.
The Clarets also seemed comfortable for most of the second half, until Stacey’s goal from a corner created a tense final 15 minutes, but they survived to make it more than five months without a Championship defeat.
However, Burnley goalkeeper James Trafford will have to wait to try and set a new clean sheet record.
He had hoped to equal Port Vale’s Ray King in 1953-54, and Gillingham’s Jim Stannard in 1995-96, in keeping 29 clean sheets, the most by one goalkeeper in an English Football League campaign.
The Clarets have still only conceded 13 goals in the Championship in 42 games, threatening the English Football League record of 15 held by Chelsea in 2004-5, although they only played 38 matches.
They will almost certainly beat Watford and Preston’s record low of conceding 30 goals in the Championship in 2020-21.
Burnley visit the Hornets on Good Friday, 18 April, before a potential promotion-decider against Sheffield United at Turf Moor three days later.
They then travel to QPR before finishing the season at home to Millwall on 3 May.
Burnley manager Scott Parker told BBC Radio Lancashire:
“Overall, I am delighted with the group. We set about it first half, and had an incredible first half. Every phase of our game, from the attacking front, looked a real threat.
“Defensively, in terms of our positioning, meant we really suffocated Norwich. In the second half we dropped our energy, mostly due to the business of the schedule.
“Once a goal goes in, it becomes a nervy time. But we are disappointed about the goal, we’ve been superb defensively, but I thought our reaction, and the stadium’s reaction, was really positive.
“This is about staying very level, very focused, not getting involved in the emotions of this time of year. My message is to stay calm, there’s four games left, let’s keep chalking them off.”
Norwich manager Johannes Hoff Thorup told BBC Radio Norfolk:
“We simply have to avoid the first goal, it’s not good enough defensively, our back line is all over the place.
“The second goal, we gave away a free-kick in our own half, pass it straight to them and they score from a deflected shot, that’s more difficult to avoid.
“That left us in a bad position, so I am not satisfied with that, it wasn’t part of the plan.
“The second half was really, really strong. When we got the goal we gave them a final push without creating final chances.”
[BBC]