Burnley fight back to beat winless Portsmouth

Josh Brownhill’s 94th-minute winner after Jeremy Sarmiento’s wonder goal gave Burnley a dramatic Championship victory against winless Portsmouth.

The Clarets had laboured to break down a well-organised and determined Pompey, who seemed set to stretch their unbeaten away run to 13 league games.

Callum Lang gave Portsmouth a first-half lead after Connor Ogilvie had hit the post for last season’s League One champions.

The arrival of Ecuador winger Sarmiento changed the dynamic and within two minutes he had curled in a lovely leveller, with Brownhill drilling in his third goal of the campaign in the fourth minute of added time.

This was the first meeting of these two clubs for 12 years, but Pompey have been a Burnley bogey side down the years, the Clarets winning just two of their previous 14 meetings.

That trend seemed to be continuing as Portsmouth looked solid at the back and dangerous when they ventured forward in the first half at Turf Moor.

Ogilvie glanced Marlon Pack’s corner against the far post and – where Burnley did use their dominant possession to fashion a chance – they found centre-back Regan Poole, making his first start for 10 months after injury, impassable.

Three minutes before the break Pompey attacked with a sweeping move from right to left as Josh Murphy fed Paddy Lane and he delivered a perfect low cross to the far post for Lang to score his third goal of the season.

Burnley’s win at Leeds last week had been their first in four games but they looked like going down to a rare home defeat as Portsmouth defended their lead stoically in the second half.

The Clarets were lacking inspiration but found it in the shape of Sarmiento, sent on with 15 minutes remaining as Scott Parker looked to change things.

The Brighton loanee did exactly that, carving in from the left and then curling a gorgeous shot into the far corner for his second goal of the season. The other was for the Seagulls in the EFL Cup before he made the loan move to Lancashire.

Burnley had shown more urgency in the second half and they got their reward when another attack ended with Brownhill drilling home the winner in a crowded penalty area.