Brighton missed a penalty, had a header cleared off the line and hit the woodwork at the Amex Stadium as Chris Hughton left feeling this was a case of the same old story.
The Seagulls have now scored only once in their last six games, with Glenn Murray the culprit who fired his spot-kick over the crossbar in the first half.
Scoring is becoming a serious issue for Brighton and it is one which will likely be addressed in January as they find themselves slipping towards the bottom of the table.
Brighton’s Glenn Murray was disappointed after missing the penalty as the score remained goalless going into half-time
The Seagulls top goalscorer got brought down in the Burnley box after tangling legs with James Tarkowski in the first half
The 34-year-old blazed the first-half spot-kick over the centre of the bar as the score remained 0-0 going into the break
Clarets goalkeeper Nick Pope watches as Murray fires his penalty kick high and wide into the Amex Stadium’s crowd
A bad patch was always going to come at some point for the Premier League newbies but it is one Hughton wants to get out of as soon as possible.
As for Sean Dyche’s Burnley, this slightly dented their remarkable rise towards the Champions League places. They had chances in the second half to win this and a draw takes them to fifth, though that could change once other fixtures are completed this weekend.
The last six Premier League fixtures have yielded just two points for Brighton and Hughton had clearly told his squad to give as good as they get here. Even Anthony Knockaert was getting in on the act, throwing his weight around with Burnley’s giants.
It was all Brighton in the first half. By the break, they were wondering how it was not 3-0, with Burnley having offered distinctly nothing up front.
The Seagulls went in search of the opener and the woodwork saved the visitors in the 22nd minute. Pascal Gross cut the ball back for Knockaert, who connected first time with a powerful shot that struck the post with Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope beaten.
Clarets defender Tarkowski pleads his innocence after a tangling of legs sent Murray tumbling in the visitors’ box
Brighton’s goalkeeper Mathew Ryan put in a man-of-the-match performance as he kept a clean sheet for the Seagulls
MATCH FACTS, LIVE TABLE AND MATCH ZONE
BRIGHTON : (4-4-1-1) Ryan 7.5; Saltor 6.5, Duffy 6.5, Dunk 6, Bong 6; Propper 6, Stephens 6, Knockaert 6.5 (Izquierdo 83), Gross 6 (Brown 75 6), March 6; Murray 6 (Hemed 63 6)
SUBS NOT USED: Krul (GK); Kayal, Goldson, Schelotto
BOOKINGS: March (68), Stephens (77)
COACH: Chris Hughton 6
BURNLEY: (4-4-1-1) Pope 6.5; Bardsley 6, Mee 6.5, Tarkowski 6.5, Taylor 6; Gudmundsson 6, Cork 6, Defour 6 (Barnes 68 6), Arfield 6; Hendrick 6, Wood 6 (Vokes 81)
SUBS NOT USED: Lindegaard (GK); Lowton, Westwood, Wells, Long
BOOKINGS: Taylor (48), Barnes (72)
COACH: Sean Dyche 6
REFEREE: Chris Kavanagh 5.5
VENUE: Amex Stadium
ATTENDANCE: 29,921
MAN OF THE MATCH: Mathew Ryan
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Burnley’s Chris Wood had some of the game’s best chances to break the deadlock. For more stats and facts, visit our exclusive MATCH ZONE service by clicking here.
Less than two minutes later, a header from Lewis Dunk looked set for the top corner. All 5ft 11in of Phil Bardsley stretched to clear off the line. Again, Pope was beaten but again, Burnley survived.
Murray then stung the palms of the visiting goalkeeper with a vicious shot as Brighton continued to turn the screw. There were waves after waves of attacks.
They should have taken the lead in the 35th minute when Murray was brought down by James Tarkowski in a tangle of legs inside the box. Referee Chris Kavanagh took his time before pointing to the spot, convinced Tarkowski was at fault.
It appeared soft but Burnley felt justice was done when Murray, taking the penalty himself, blazed the ball over the crossbar. It was a woeful attempt that wound up in Row Q.
Burnley goalkeeper Pope then irritated the home fans ahead of half time by time wasting. He wanted to relieve the Brighton pressure, which had so far been relentless.
Mathew Ryan, meanwhile, could have been doing a crossword between the sticks in the first half. At the start of the second, the Seagulls stopper showed he was still awake by making a comfortable save when Chris Wood had a rare shot on target.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche points out a foul to the fourth official during his side’s physical encounter with Brighton
Scott Arfield battles for possession with Seagulls defender Bruno Saltor in their goalless stalemate at the Amex
After his penalty miss, Murray was desperate to make amends but failed to steer the ball into the net as the ball goes wide
Jeff Hendrick (left) is put under pressure by Brighton’s Dale Stephens (right) in their encounter at the Amex Stadium
Burnley at least started to threaten and had their own header cleared off the line. Tarkowski nodded towards goal, though it was at a snail’s pace and Dale Stephens put his laces through it.
Knockaert was constantly searching for the ball, looking to be the one to create something for Brighton.
Yet it was Burnley who then had the ball in the back of the net when Ryan denied Scott Arfield with two quick-fire saves before Wood stuck in the third. The linesman raised his flag, and replays showed it was tight.
Dyche then opted to bring on Ashley Barnes, the striker they signed from Brighton in 2014 and who scored an 89th-minute winner against Stoke in midweek as a substitute. It was all set up for a storyline.
Maybe he wanted it too much. When Ryan leaped to catch a cross, Barnes opted to run into the 25-year-old, forcing him into the net. The referee rightly awarded the foul.
The goalkeeper was soon involved again in the 73rd minute when Wood was through one on one. The striker tried to chip the on-rushing Ryan but a superb save kept it 0-0, and that was that.
Steven Defour nips at the heels of Brighton midfielder Davy Propper in their physical Premier League encounter
Lewis Dunk throws his body in the way of a Arfield shot in an attempt to keep the score at 0-0 shortly before the final whistle