Burnley’s bid to enhance their Premier League survival prospects fell short as they were forced to settle for a frustrating draw against Wolves at Turf Moor.
Jacob Bruun Larsen gave the hosts the lead in the 37th minute by skillfully converting Dara O’Shea’s cross.
However, Wolves equalized just before halftime when Rayan Ait-Nouri headed in Pablo Sarabia’s wide free-kick.
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany criticized the decision to award Ait-Nouri the free-kick that resulted in the equalizer.
Referee Thomas Bramall deemed O’Shea to have fouled the Algeria international, but replays showed minimal contact between them.
“It’s absolutely clear it’s not a foul,” Kompany told BBC Match of the Day. “The lad just slides over after he tries a pirouette.
“I get it – we all make mistakes, but it’s just too much, it’s too easy. [The referee] was in the best position.”
Burnley maintains their 19th position in the table and now trails by six points from safety following Nottingham Forest’s victory over Fulham.
Had Tuesday’s results been in their favor, the Clarets could have closed the gap to just one point from safety.
However, their inability to secure a victory means they fell behind in the relegation battle, losing ground to rivals Nottingham Forest, while fellow strugglers Everton managed to secure a late draw against Newcastle.
‘Referee mistakes just keep happening’
Earlier this week, Kompany, who received a red card in his team’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea on Saturday, expressed dissatisfaction with the standard of refereeing in the Premier League this season, stating it “hasn’t been good enough.”
Reflecting on the Wolves game, he told Match of the Day, “It just keeps happening. I think in the last game I was definitely not right in the way I reacted, I don’t want to do that. I react calmly now, but I still see the same pattern.”
Burnley has secured victory just once in all competitions since December 23rd, and this match felt like a missed opportunity.
The Clarets started cautiously, with full-back Vitinho testing Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa in the first half before taking the lead through Bruun Larsen’s tidy finish.
Even after being pegged back, the hosts enjoyed periods of dominance after the restart and created chances to reclaim the lead.
Goalscorer Bruun Larsen had an opportunity to double his tally in the 58th minute, but he fired Vitinho’s cutback straight at Sa.
The Wolves goalkeeper also made a crucial save moments later to deny a Wilson Odobert shot that had deflected wickedly off a defender.
Substitute Jay Rodriguez managed to find the net late in the game, but his goal was rightly ruled out for offside.
Burnley will face fellow strugglers Everton in their next match away from home on Saturday (15:00 BST).
Cunha return will boost toothless Wolves
Wolves, ending a two-match winless streak, squandered several opportunities to take the lead midway through the first half.
Joao Gomes met Matt Doherty’s header across the goal but could only flick his effort over the bar despite being well-positioned in the area. Leon Chiwome also failed to capitalize, dragging a shot wide under pressure from inside the box.
In the second half, Burnley dominated possession, but Wolves remained dangerous on the counter-attack and created the best chances in the final moments.
Arijanet Muric, Burnley’s goalkeeper, denied Ait-Nouri when he was through on goal, while Mario Lemina’s header from distance skimmed the outside of the post.
The visitors will be encouraged by the return of Matheus Cunha, who made his first appearance off the bench since suffering a hamstring injury in February.