Fulham vs Burnley match report: Clarets stretch lead at the top as Andre Gray makes Cottagers suffer

Fulham 2 Burnley 3

Joey Barton and Andre Gray (Getty Images)

The two highest-scoring clubs in the Championship lived up to their reputation as entertainers in a retro match down by the river that lacked only Johnny Haynes and Jimmy McIlroy pulling the strings instead of Scott Parker and Joey Barton.

Most Fulham and Burnley sides of the past would have been happy to have had Ross McCormack and Andre Gray in their forward line – even if their joint fees of £20m would have caused some eye-watering – and with the division’s two leading individual marksmen involved it was hardly a surprise there were goals.

They managed an excellent one each and Gray’s on the hour extended his team’s lead at the top of the table to four points ahead of Middlesbrough as well as bringing a first Burnley win at the Cottage since 1980.

Sean Dyche has made good use of the relegation parachute payment from last season and his team are now unbeaten in 13 league games since Boxing Day. The defending, of course, left something to be desired, which only added to the fun.

In the ninth minute Fulham’s marking was poor as Sam Vokes headed in from a corner but the visitors could easily have been 3-1 behind by half-time.

Moussa Dembélé sent McCormack through for his 20th goal of the season and with less than a quarter of the game gone Fulham were ahead. Everton loanee Luke Garbutt whipped in a cross that Ben Mee either missed or left, allowing Dembélé to bundle the ball in.

Back at the other end Gray’s effort that beat goalkeeper Andy Lonergan was disallowed for handball.

In response McCormack hit a 30-yard free-kick at Tom Heaton, who then saved brilliantly from Tom Cairney in the home team’s best move of the half, sweeping forward from their own penalty area.

Pushing forward again from the off, Burnley were level two minutes into the second half, when Cairney was adjudged to have fouled Barton. Vokes comfortably rolled in the penalty off his long run.

Heaton had to make another fine save, from the wing-back Garbutt, before Burnley regained the lead, Gray turning Michael Madl to stay ahead of McCormack with his 22nd goal.

It was hard on Fulham, who have now won one of their last six games. But Haynes would have been used to that.

Fulham (3-5-2): Lonergan; Madl, Burn (Ince, 82), Amorebieta, Fredericks, Cairney, Parker (Smith, 82), Tunnicliffe, Garbutt; McCormack, Dembélé. Substitutes not used: Richards, Lewis, Ream, Baird, O’Hara, Ince.

Burnley (4-4-2): Heaton; Lowton, Keane, Mee, Ward; Boyd, Ulvestad (Marney, 58), Barton, Arfield; Gray, Vokes. Substitutes not used: Kightly, Taylor, Robinson, Hennings, Tarkowski, Darikwa.

Referee: D Whitestone (Northants).