Burnley 1 Wolves 0: Managerless Clarets OUT of relegation zone with Everton facing fight to avoid drop after Vydra goal

MATEJ VYDRA pumped more hope into the hearts of his Burnley team-mates on a day that for so long seemed too much for all of them.

Little wonder he danced for joy after firing home his 62nd-minute winner.

Premier League salvation, that just three games earlier looked like an impossible dream following the sacking of Sean Dyche, is fast becoming a reality.

The team now being led by Under-23s boss Mike Jackson hardly walked on water to get this win.

In fact tension gripped every one of the players he took over.

Yet somehow they got another three points in the bag and the delight of a sixth successive season amongst the elite is nothing like the mission impossible it has looked for the last eight long months.

Had Bruno Lage’s side been anything like clinical they would surely have trooped off at half-time with a lead and maybe even a substantial one.

Anxiety kicked in amongst the Clarets right from the first few seconds.

The realisation that by winning back–to–back league games for the first time this season they might be out of the bottom three at the end of the day ate away at them.

Centre backs James Tarkowski and Nathan Collins were edgy in their work as was goalkeeper Nick Pope behind him.

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No home midfielder was able to gain even momentary control as Wolves created pretty patterns around them.

It had been 16 days since the visitors last played in a 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.

Yet they were fresher than the Burnley players slogging through their third game in a week but they lacked an edge.

Raul Jiminez was presented with what seemed a perfect opportunity only six minutes in thanks to the dithering amongst his opponents but his shot was weak and straight at Pope.

Jonny was then given all the time in the world to pick his spot as he cut in from the left.

But the Spaniard curled a shot that rose to the perfect height for Pope to push away.

Burnley, having beaten Southampton in midweek after taking a point at the London Stadium should have been on something of a high – even if the aftershock of manager Dyche’s shock dismissal nine days earlier still rattled around Turf Moor.

Yet only Dwight McNeill offered any real threat.

He wriggled into space from the right and sent a left footer flashing over the bar.

Josh Brownhill did the spade work for him to have another go in the 38th minute.

He got this one on target but Jose Sa easily tipped over.

Pope had to make a far more difficult stop early in the second half as, once again, the Clarets looked to be choking.

The England man got up well to force away Nelson Semeda’s fiery strike.

And then, from nowhere, came Burnley’s first proper move of the game.

McNeil delivered a fine pass forward to Wout Weghorst who for the first time all afternoon controlled the ball instead of losing it.

He cut across for Vydra and the Czech striker who earlier had knocked the ball home but was correctly ruled offside got everything right.

The 29-year-old rammed passed Jose Sa from eight yards for his first goal in 14 games and only his third of the season.

And certainly from nowhere Turf Moor became a smiley–happy place for the majority and Vydra and his team-mates especially.

As opposed to beating themselves up they actually looked like they were enjoying themselves.

And Wolves, who arrived looking for upward movement towards Europe and who had been so technically superior, found themselves being run ragged by a side that – as if from nowhere – has rediscovered itself again.