Cardiff City were narrowly defeated by the Clarets on Tuesday night.
Omer Riza elected to make three changes to the side that hosted Hull City last time out in the league, with Joel Bagan, Dimitrios Goutas and Alex Robertson coming into the starting XI in place of Will Fish, Chris Willock and Callum Robinson.
The visitors took the lead on the 19-minute mark as Josh Brownhill tapped in from close range after being found by Hannibal Mejbri’s pass on the edge of the six-yard box. His left footed effort took a deflection off of the unfortunate Perry Ng and into the net.
The Bluebirds responded positively as Yousef Salech hit the post just eight minutes later. Callum O’Dowda played a chipped ball over the head of Maxime Estéve, to which Salech got on the end of to divert it towards goal, but saw it tap against the post of James Trafford.
There was a huge chance for Zan Flemming to make it two for the Clarets, as Josh Cullen played in a dangerous ball into the box, to which Flemming gets his angles wrong and his header diverted wide.
However, Scott Parker’s side doubled their lead as Estéve tucked away a header from close range to make it 2-0. Jaidon Anthony’s cross towards the back post found Flemming, who teed it up for the centre-back.
The deficit was cut in half shortly before the half-time whistle however, as O’Dowda won the ball on the edge of the Burnley box, played it out to Joel Bagan, whose ball into the box was met by Salech to get his fourth goal for the Club.
City keeper Ethan Horvath made two sharp stops in quick succession after the break to keep the difference to one goal. After first denying Flemming, he got down quickly to deny Cullen’s effort and push away for a corner.
Substitute Callum Robinson was heavily involved after being introduced from the bench. After picking off a pass on the halfway line, he attempted an audacious chip on Trafford from the halfway line, but the keeper was able to track back and scoop up the danger.
With Robinson involved again, he whipped in a dangerous cross towards Salech again, who met the ball beautifully, but the effort cracked off the top of the crossbar.
And after another well-worked move from City, with the ball moving from Anwar El Ghazi, to O’Dowda, to Aaron Ramsey, and then out to Rubin Colwill on the right, he played it back to Calum Chambers on the edge of the area, who couldn’t quite find the target with his shot.
And approaching added time, City came agonisingly close to an equaliser. Perry Ng played the ball into the mix, with Goutas heading it on, it dropped to the feet of Will Fish, who diverted the ball across the face of goal and narrowly wide.
Next up for the Bluebirds is a trip to the Stadium Of Light to face Sunderland on Saturday, March 8th.
Full-Time: Cardiff City 1-2 Burnley
Cardiff City: Horvath, Rinomhota (Fish 45’), NG, Goutas, Bagan (Robinson 70’), O’Dowda, Chambers, Mannsverk (Ramsey 61’), Robertson (R.Colwill 45’), Ashford (El Ghazi 61’), Salech. Subs not used: Turner, Lawlor, Willock, Davies.
Burnley: Trafford, Estève, Egan-Riley, Brownhill, Anthony, Roberts, Flemming (Foster 71’), Edwards (Sarmiento 79’), Pires, Cullen, Hannibal (Laurent 71’). Subs not used: Hladky, Sonne, Worrall, Benson, Koleosho, Barnes.