Burnley extend clean sheet record in Preston derby draw
Burnley extended their remarkable defensive record with an 11th consecutive clean sheet in the Championship but missed the chance to move into second place after a resilient Preston North End earned a point in a lively and intense Lancashire derby at Deepdale.
The Clarets, who have conceded just nine goals in 33 league matches, created the better opportunities, with Lyle Foster spurning two clear chances on either side of halftime.
Preston, unbeaten in nine home league games, were forced to defend for much of the second half but still managed to carve out a few notable chances. Brad Potts came closest for the hosts, with strong efforts in each half narrowly missing the mark.
The match grew increasingly heated, culminating in a delay shortly before the hour mark when Hannibal Mejbri reacted angrily to a comment from Preston striker Milutin Osmajic. Hannibal confronted his manager Scott Parker, and referee Andrew Kitchen had lengthy discussions regarding the incident, which overshadowed an otherwise engaging contest that saw just three shots on target.
Despite Burnley’s exceptional defensive record—over 1,000 minutes of league football without conceding—they now have 12 goalless draws this season, highlighting a lack of clinical finishing. Jaidon Anthony posed a constant threat for the visitors and came close early on, while Connor Roberts also had a decent attempt.
The game’s best chance came in first-half stoppage time when a flowing move involving Hannibal and a brilliant backheel from Zian Flemming set up Foster, who missed from 12 yards. Foster came close again after the break, his shot grazing the post after some skillful play during a scrappy sequence.
Preston, whose impressive run of just three losses in 17 Championship games has fueled hopes of a playoff push, nearly secured a winner through Potts, who curled a second-half effort just wide after cutting inside.
Breaching Burnley’s Backline:
- Kwadwo Baah was the last player to score against Burnley, doing so 56 days ago on December 21, 2024, in Watford’s 2-1 loss at Vicarage Road.
- Burnley have kept 11 consecutive league clean sheets and 24 in total this season.
- Scott Parker’s side has conceded only nine goals in 33 league matches, with no opponent scoring more than once in a game during this run.
- Burnley has suffered just two league defeats this season, both 1-0 away losses to Millwall and Sunderland, with the most recent occurring on November 4.
- With 13 games remaining, Burnley are one clean sheet away from equaling the Championship record of 25 in a season, set by QPR in 2010-11.
- The Clarets are the first team in second-tier history to achieve 11 consecutive league clean sheets.