Arijanet Muric howler gifts Brighton point

Goalkeeper Arijanet Muric’s second car-crash moment in as many games cost Burnley a precious win at Turf Moor and brought relegation one step closer.

There seemed no danger on the horizon when Sander Berge sent a gentle back pass to him 11 minutes from time with Burnley one goal to the good. Somehow though – without a Brighton player in the same postcode – the Kosovan contrived, with the clumsiest of traps, to allow the ball to roll under his boot and into the net.

It was a moment of pure footballing horror and Turf Moor instinctively morphed into a collective version of Munch’s The Scream.

Coming hard on the heels of the charge down goal by Dominic Calvert-Lewin which led to Burnley’s defeat at Everton, it was a tough one to take.

Muric was forced to wait for a run in the Premier League with James Trafford preferred for much of the season but after the past eight days he might be wishing his belated call-up had never happened.

Burnley assistant manager Craig Bellamy, who was on technical area duty with Vincent Kompany serving a touchline ban, offered his support afterwards.

“With a goalkeeper you always look at strength of character more than anything – what’s he like after a mistake? That’s not a concern with Aro,” said Bellamy.

“I have nothing but praise for him because he is willing to keep going. Mistakes are part of the game and life as well. It is how you respond to them.”

Burnley’s survival chances were bleak enough anyway but acts of self-harm on such a scale make the drop appear inevitable now – although not to Bellamy.

“I have a three-year-old girl who still believes in rainbows and unicorns. I honestly believe we are going to get out of this situation and stay up. Maybe I might be the one believing in rainbows and unicorns but I really do believe that,” he said.

Burnley were the brighter side up to half-time, blowing two inviting chances with David Datro Fofana and Jacob Bruun Larsen unable to convert from close range unmarked.

Substitute Josh Brownhill’s 74th minute goal – which came after midfielder Carlos Baleba had sold Bart Verbruggen short in the Brighton goal – gave them the lead.

But however bizarrely their equaliser came about, a patched-up Brighton side, who lost another frontliner when Pervis Estupiñán limped off with an ankle injury after just 13 minutes, deserved their point for their second-half dominance.