Vincent Kompany enjoyed a winning start as Championship manager as his new Burnley side beat Huddersfield 1-0 in the opening game of the 2022/23 Sky Bet EFL season.
The Manchester City legend replaced Sean Dyche at Turf Moor in June after three years at Anderlecht and saw debutant Ian Maatsen coolly sweep home the opener after just 18 minutes.
The Terriers – who were beaten by Nottingham Forest in the play-off final 61 days ago and lost head coach Carlos Corberan earlier this month – struggled to get a point from the game and, although moved through the gears after the break, they couldn’t. to make a single shot at the target.
Image: Vincent Kompany won his first competitive game in charge of Burnley
Later, Scott Twine almost scored his first Burnley game since a £4m move from MK Dons with a trademark free-kick that dipped and rattled the woodwork, but ultimately a single goal was enough
How the Kompany era started perfectly
Kompany did not promise miracles ahead of his return to English football and made it clear that his Burnley players would need time to adapt to a new division and a new way of thinking. Priced at 9/1 to win the title before kick-off, they weren’t considered immediate favorites either.
But the way they started at the John Smith’s Stadium suggested otherwise. The Clarets were aggressive in possession, their movement on the pitch fluid, their passing quick and crisp.
The visitors should have won a penalty when Tom Lees got on top of Ashley Barnes as he collected a good ball from Josh Cullen, but after Cullen and Barnes both went close in the next few minutes, they took a deserved advantage when Maatsen collected. cut back after his own pass into the box and stroked the ball past Lee Nicholls.
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Scott Twine comes very close to making it 2-0 for Burnley with a superb free kick but it hits the post!
Nicholls was soon called into action to deny Connor Roberts from close range as Burnley looked to quickly double their lead, before Dara Costelloe struggled to connect with a loose ball on the edge of the box. six yards
Huddersfield were nervous in the rare moments they crossed the halfway line and lost the influence of Lewis O’Brien and Harry Toffolo, both of whom joined Forest this month, who led to loud boos at half-time.
Danny Schofield rallied his troops enough to turn the tide shortly after, with Sorba Thomas able to show glimpses of the creative streak that served his side so well last season, while the introduction of Tino Anjorin and Jack Rudoni saw the hosts increase the pace of the game. match
They had nothing to prove, though, and were almost punished when Twine hit the woodwork late on, with the Clarets walking away with their first three points of the campaign.
Man of the Match – Josh Cullen
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Josh Cullen and Ian Maatsen reflect on a brilliant night for Burnley as they produced a dominant display in their 1-0 win over Huddersfield.
Sky Sports’ Andy Hinchcliffe:
“If you’re wondering why Vincent Kompany brought Josh Cullen to Burnley from Anderlecht, it’s for performances like this, with the control he’s brought to this game. He’s been aggressive on and off the ball. A outstanding debut”.
What managers said…
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Danny Schofield praises his players for fighting back despite losing the game 1-0 to rivals Burnley.
Huddersfield’s Danny Schofield: “In the first half they were the better team. They dominated midfield and the full-backs coming inside caused us problems, they outnumbered us in that area and that’s something that we were wrong. But in the second half, we changed some things, we did a lot better and we gave a chance.
“[After the game] I said, we win together and lose together and suffer together. We keep growing, we keep trying to perform and we keep trying to improve. As long as we’re together, this group of players shows a lot of fight, a lot of energy all the time. They are true professionals and if they continue to show that fight and that spirit on the pitch, we will be fine.
“Hopefully it will go very quickly. We’ve had a very short pre-season and we’ve tried to get things into the players very quickly. New recruits always take a little bit, but we’re going to try to speed up that process. to make it as smooth as possible.”
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Vincent Kompany heaped praise on his Burnley side as they won 1-0 against Huddersfield in their opening game of the Championship season.
Burnley’s Vincent Kompany: “I couldn’t have asked for more. What I came up with was the intensity of the team and how the lads dug into each other – that’s the hardest part, especially with a lot of new players. create a lot of chances that could have been a bit more clinical in my opinion and it’s Burnley so we work hard, we’re aggressive and we try to surround people in numbers and I think that’s what we did.
“The second half was a real test of what’s to come in the league. If you move the ball in numbers, I always think that goes beyond size, but you have to do it and it’s a lot of work. to have a midfield with legs and some wingers with legs. We might not have the size of other teams at the moment, which is a bit strange to say when you’re the manager of Burnley, but we’ve got legs, heart. And the lads were brave and they were trapped.
“I keep saying, any day, give me drive and attitude and I’ll take that talent over the top and that’s what Burnley is. We’re not there, don’t get me wrong, but it’s a step in the right direction, showing what we could do.”
What’s next?
Huddersfield travel to St Andrew’s to take on Birmingham at 7.45pm on Friday, August 5, in a game live on Sky Sports Football, while Burnley are back the following day when they host Luton at 3pm at Turf Moor.