Vincent Kompany’s table-topping Championship side headed into this Lancashire derby on the back of a thumping 4-0 victory over Huddersfield Town. Meanwhile, League One Fleetwood travelled to Turf Moor on a run of six games without defeat in all competitions.
As anticipated, the Clarets dominated possession from the get-go, and they were almost gifted an early goal when Aristote Nsiala’s weighted backpass caught Jay Lynch off guard, which forced the goalkeeper to hurtle back across the goalmouth to clear his lines.
Burnley had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock in the 16th minute when Lyle Foster found himself one-on-one with Lynch, but the South African international was unable to get enough power behind his attempted chip.
Fleetwood hadn’t conceded a goal in four games prior to this cup fixture, and they managed to keep the home side at arm’s length, with Lynch denying both Charlie Taylor and Anass Zaroury.
Nevertheless, the Cod Army faced an uphill battle in the second half after Cian Hayes was sent off for dangerous play on the stroke of HT.
Now with 10 players on the pitch, it seemed like it would just be a matter of time before Fleetwood were picked off by their opponents.
However, despite the disadvantage, the visitors continued to defend admirably, which prompted Kompany to introduce Nathan Tella, Burnley’s top goalscorer this season, Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson and Connor Roberts from the bench after the hour mark.
Minutes later, Taylor saw his close-range header crucially cleared off the line as the home side pushed for a winner.
The Clarets eventually saw off Fleetwood’s stubborn resistance late in the game when Roberts cheekily flicked in from point-blank range after Lynch had made two commendable saves.
As a result, Burnley, who travel to Fleetwood’s rivals Blackpool at the weekend, extended their unbeaten run at home in all competitions to 21 games.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jay Lynch (Fleetwood Town)
