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BURNLEY-EVERTON LATEST PREMIER LEAGUE GAME TO FALL DUE TO COVID-19

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, February 9, 2008: An Everton club flag flies over the floodlights at Goodison Park. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Burnley’s Boxing Day clash with Everton has been postponed due to the number of coronavirus cases in the Toffees’ squad.

Everton had an initial request to postpone the game rejected on Thursday despite boss Rafael Benitez claiming he only had nine fit outfield players.

Everton confirmed in a brief statement: “Our Premier League fixture at Burnley on Boxing Day has been postponed due to the number of COVID cases and injuries in our squad.”

The Premier League said it had taken the “regrettable” decision to postpone the game following a meeting of its Board on Friday morning.

It said in a statement: “The Board reviewed the club’s request today to postpone the match following further injuries to their squad.

“They concluded that the club will not be able to fulfil their fixture this weekend as a result of an insufficient number of players available to play due to Covid-19 cases and injuries.”

Benitez said on Thursday that he was “surprised” the game had been expected to go ahead, after two Boxing Day matches – Liverpool v Leeds and Wolves v Watford – were postponed due to Covid cases.

His squad endured a Covid outbreak following the game against Chelsea on December 16, while a number of top players including Richarlison and Andros Townsend are injured.

Benitez said: “With the injuries and the positives that we have, we were expecting that the game would be postponed.

“Like in a lot of other games (to be postponed) to try and keep the integrity of the league, because you are losing so many players.”

Meanwhile Tottenham boss Antonio Conte has described Thursday’s meeting between the Premier League and all 20 top-flight bosses as a waste of time and likened the league’s governing body to a brick wall.

Rising Covid-19 cases in England’s top-flight saw all managers and head coaches come together for a virtual meeting with the division to discuss the ongoing situation in addition to the congested fixture list and other key issues.

Numerous matches have already been postponed due to coronavirus outbreaks and managers have repeatedly highlighted a lack of player welfare, including Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola suggesting a players’ strike may be the only way to draw attention to it.

But the online chat proved pointless for Conte, who said: “If I have to be honest, it was a meeting that we tried to speak and some coaches tried to speak, to ask about solutions but I think everything was decided.

“I think yesterday it was a wall and for this reason I also prefer to not go into it.”

Asked if it was a waste of time, the Italian added: “I think so. Because when you have a wall in front of you, you can speak and ask what you want but every decision was (already) taken.”

Spurs, who have just returned from an enforced two-week break due to a Covid-19 outbreak at the club, are set to host Crystal Palace on Sunday before they visit Southampton on Tuesday.

Conte admits rotation will be key, adding: “It is not easy for us, it is not easy for all the teams to play after only one day is not simple.

“You have to manage the situation very well because the risk to lose players for injuries, so we have to pay great attention, especially my team.

“Don’t forget we had half our squad with Covid and in previous press conferences I said that when you take Covid, then you have to live with this situation for two to three weeks after you finished with Covid.

“We have to try to manage the situation very well because for sure physically the players with Covid (previously) are not 100 per cent fit.”

Norwich head coach Dean Smith feels it is “lunacy” to expect teams to play two games in 48 hours.

The Canaries’ Premier League match at West Ham was called off last weekend because of the ongoing Covid-19 issues, with just four of the scheduled 10 top-flight games able to be played as scheduled.

Norwich are set to host Arsenal on Sunday, and then play Crystal Palace on December 28.

Smith, though, believes that is an unreasonable expectation.

“We have some fresh cases, but we have got others coming back. We are not sure how many will miss Boxing Day,” he said.

“We are having to push rehab forward and people are breaking down in rehab because of that, it is asking massive questions of everybody’s squads at the moment.

“It is lunacy that we are having to play two games in 48 hours and there has got to be a question about the integrity of the competition when teams are playing weakened teams against other teams and it is affecting league positions.”

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NICK POPE STARS AS BURNLEY KEEPS WESTHAM AT BAY IN GOALLESS DRAW

West Ham’s Champions League ambitions suffered a setback as they were held to a goalless draw by struggling Burnley.

David Moyes’ side have recently beaten Chelsea and Liverpool while giving Manchester City a run for their money to sit in the top four on merit, but they found struggling Burnley a more difficult proposition than expected in a tight encounter at Turf Moor.

Nick Pope, who has missed out on the last two England squads, will hope to have impressed the watching Gareth Southgate as he made good saves to deny Issa Diop, and Said Benrahma in either half, but the Burnley goalkeeper was only rarely tested on a frustrating day for the Hammers.

The draw means that, though Moyes’ men stay fourth, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham are all within three points – with Tottenham having two games in hand.

It was a better afternoon for Dyche, whose side still only have one victory all season and remain in the bottom three but once again showed how difficult they can be to actually beat – a platform they must now build on to once again dig themselves out of trouble.

Though Burnley applied some early pressure – with Chris Wood heading over from Dwight McNeil’s corner – they were soon forced back into a familiar defensive posture.

Having made 11 changes for the midweek defeat to Dynamo Zagreb, Moyes restored his regulars but included Arthur Masuaka, whose surprise late goal brought victory over Chelsea last week, and the left-back sent a volleyed effort just wide after Benrahma had seen a curling effort blocked.

Pope then made a fine save to keep out Diop’s header from close range, and then again to deny Vladimir Coufal, although this time the flag was up.

The goalkeeper’s reward for his efforts was then to get a boot in the face from Michail Antonio, leaving him in a heap on the floor with a bloodied mouth.

Burnley fans were fearing the worst when Craig Dawson tumbled in front of McNeil with eight minutes left, but though VAR took a close look if anything it looked like a foul the other way, and play continued.

Burnley threatened at the start of the second half as an early ball found Jay Rodriguez, whose close-range effort was charged down by Dawson.

But the balance of play soon shifted the other way as Declan Rice, quiet in the first half, began to impose himself, creating chances with a series of charging runs and incisive passes.

First he beat three challenges to break into the box, and though he was halted by Mee, the ball came out to Benrahma whose effort was turned behind.

One low cross was then cut out before another span up for Benrahma to bring a strong save from Pope.

When the England midfielder raced forward again just before the hour, Pope did well to hook his cross over the bar as it headed towards Antonio at the far post.

Rice went closest himself with seven minutes remaining when his shot from just outside the area bounced off the top of the crossbar.

As frustrations built, Burnley almost snatched it with a swift counterattack. Josh Brownhill played in McNeil who slipped the ball forward for Matej Vydra, but the substitute went to ground as he tried to roll Rice, referee Graham Scott immediately signalling there was no foul.

Seconds later, Rodriguez was the merest touch away from turning Charlie Taylor’s low ball into the net.

Defeat would have been under served on West Ham, but they will need better than this to hold off the chasing pack.

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BURNLEY IMPRESSIVE WITH DRAW AT WOLVES

Burnley maintained their impressive record against Wolves with a 0-0 draw that made it six unbeaten versus the West Midlands side for Sean Dyche.

It was the first time that Dyche’s side had played since their thrilling 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace last month after Storm Arwen postponed the Clarets’ clash with Tottenham last Sunday.

Although a point will not please Dyche too much, his side are proving tough to beat as they have only lost one from their last eight Premier League games.

Only the top three teams in the league had conceded fewer than Wolves coming into their fixture with Burnley and that continued as they kept their third clean sheet in a row.

But Bruno Lage’s men need to direct their training efforts to the other end of the pitch as their goal drought continued. Wolves have managed just one goal in their last four games.

The most danger Wolves caused Burnley came on the half-hour mark as Adama Traore led a counter-attack with his renowned pace.

Raul Jimenez joined him and created a two-on-one situation where the two Wolves forwards were running at Charlie Taylor. Taylor forced Traore wide and the Spanish forward struck from distance which rocketed off the bar and Nathan Collins cleared.

It was the type of match that Wolves could have benefitted from Ruben Neves’ creativity, but he served his one-match ban.

Traore again had an opportunity to put his side ahead. This time in the early stages of the second half. Rayan Ait-Nouri’s low cross was blocked and deflected into the path of Traore who slipped as he was about to shoot from inside the 18-yard box.

Traore used his lightning pace again with a direct run past four Burnley men. His deep cross was a stretch for Jimenez and Nick Pope collected with ease.

That did spark Lage to gee up the Molineux crowd and Hwang Hee-chan nearly rewarded them for their support but his low-driven shot was deflected wide.

Burnley’s first attempt at target was Dwight McNeil’s guided effort which forced Jose Sa to turn around the post and out for a corner.

Jay Rodriguez audaciously attempted to chip Sa from outside the box in injury time but it was well over the bar.

Dyche’s side remain in the bottom three but do have a game in hand, whereas Wolves missed an opportunity to go fifth.

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SEAN DYCHE CELEBRATES NINE YEARS AT BURNLEY WITH WIN OVER BRENTFORD

Burnley registered their first win of the Premier League season as they beat Brentford 3-1 at Turf Moor on the day Sean Dyche reached nine years as Clarets boss.

The hosts netted three times without reply in the first half, with Chris Wood lashing the opener past Premier League debutant Alvaro Fernandez in the fourth minute.

Matt Lowton added a header in the 32nd and Maxwel Cornet then struck to make it 3-0 four minutes later.

Brentford substitute Saman Ghoddos pulled a goal back with 11 minutes of normal time remaining, but the visitors were unable to spoil Dyche’s anniversary as his side took maximum points for the first time in 10 league outings this season, and 13 including the end of last term.

It saw Burnley move out of the relegation zone, up a place to 17th, while Thomas Frank’s Bees remain 12th after their third successive league defeat.

Burnley grabbed the lead early when Lowton lofted the ball forward on the right and Ethan Pinnock tried to intercept but could not prevent it running to Wood, who cracked a shot beyond Fernandez.

The hosts continued to push, with Wood causing further problems for Brentford and penalty appeals being waved away by referee Jon Moss after Ashley Westwood went down in the box.

And Burnley then had the ball in the net again on the quarter-hour mark, Cornet finishing having been teed up by Wood, only for the effort to be ruled out for offside via a VAR check.

An encouraging spell for Brentford followed, in which Ivan Toney brought a good save out of Nick Pope.

But soon after, it was Fernandez doing well to thwart Johann Berg Gudmundsson one-on-one, and moments later Burnley did double their advantage as Lowton rose to head in Charlie Taylor’s cross.

Clarets fans had barely finished celebrating that when Dyche’s men scored again as Cornet, in delightful fashion, notched his fourth goal in five league appearances since joining the club, bringing down a pass from Dwight McNeil and then smashing the ball past Fernandez from the edge of the box.

It could have got even worse for Brentford before the interval, with Wood seeing one shot deflected behind and sending another just over.

Wood then put a header wide shortly after the break, before Pope dived to push away a Christian Norgaard shot.

Lowton and McNeil made unsuccessful attempts with strikes around the hour mark, and Norgaard and Toney were subsequently off-target with efforts at the other end.

After McNeil sent a free-kick wide of the near post, Brentford then reduced the deficit via a superb volley from Ghoddos, but they could not make things any more nervy for Burnley in the closing stages.

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LUCAS MOURA HELPS SPURS TO SCRAPPY CARABAO CUP WIN AT BURNLEY

Lucas Moura’s second-half goal sent Tottenham through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals after a 1-0 win at Burnley.

Moura’s 68th-minute header settled a low-quality affair where both teams struggled in the attacking third for the majority of the game.

It was a much-needed win for Nuno Espirito Santo, who is under some pressure after an inconsistent start to the season, but a good cup run in this competition could help his cause.

Nuno will also hope it gives his side some confidence ahead of Manchester United’s visit in the Premier League on Saturday.

Burnley boss Sean Dyche was hoping his side could kickstart their season by beating Spurs, but they never really looked like doing that and had just one shot on target.

After travelling to Holland with a second string outfit in the Europa Conference League and getting burned with a 1-0 defeat at Vitesse Arnhem, Nuno knew he could not get away with doing the same at Turf Moor.

He made changes but kept a strong spine, which saw Harry Kane captain the side.

Kane could have given Tottenham the perfect start, but he continued to look off colour, dragging a shot well wide when being played through by Giovani Lo Celso in the third minute.

The game could have done with that going in as it developed into an insipid contest low on quality.

Spurs right-back Emerson Royal had to be alert to clear Johan Berg Gudmundsson’s dangerous cross from inside his own six-yard box, but Burnley struggled to cause any real threat.

The visitors were not much better as they again lacked the creativity that has dogged their season so far.

They did fashion a chance just before half-time, but Kane was again wayward with his finishing, blazing over an acrobatic attempt at the far post from a corner.

The start of the second half was not much better and Spurs fans were not happy, calling for change by chanting “Nuno where’s the subs?”.

The boss reacted and while Son Heung-min and Tanguy Ndombele were waiting to come on, the visitors had a big chance to go in front.

Davinson Sanchez won a tackle high up the pitch, which gave Kane space to run into, he played in Lo Celso, who looked set to score only for Nick Pope to produce a brilliant one-handed save.

Son and Ndombele came on and their first action was to help celebrate Tottenham’s opening goal.

Lo Celso played the ball out to Royal on the right and the Brazilian sent in an in-swinging cross which Moura headed home from eight yards.

It was almost two four minutes later as Moura found space 25 yards out but his fierce shot was well saved by Pope, who was keeping Burnley in it.

Burnley had to up their game if they were going to get back into the contest and they threw bodies forward, but Spurs defended well.

Erik Pieters finally had their first shot on goal in the final 10 minutes but Pierluigi Gollini easily saved it.

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MANCHESTER CITY SEE OFF BURNLEY AT THE ETIHAD

Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne were on target as champions Manchester City claimed a battling 2-0 Premier League win over Burnley at the Etihad Stadium.

City were not at their fluid best and made some uncharacteristic errors but the Clarets, despite a committed effort, were not capable of punishing them.

Silva put them on course for victory in the 12th minute and De Bruyne made sure of the victory in the second half.

The hosts went ahead early after a strong start and, even though Pep Guardiola may not have been happy their intensity dropped after that, they had enough quality when it mattered.

The Clarets had lost 5-0 on each of their previous four visits to the Etihad and they may have feared another repeat as City hit them hard early on.

Riyad Mahrez tested Nick Pope in the opening minutes and, with their build-up play slick and purposeful, it seemed only a matter of time before they would take the lead.

The opener duly arrived after Mahrez did well to wriggle out of a tight spot in the corner and find Silva. The Portuguese in turn picked out Phil Foden with a low ball across the box and, although Pope managed to beat away the Englishman’s well-struck shot, Silva was quick to snaffle the rebound.

Unexpectedly, the champions then stepped off the gas and Maxwel Cornet, who scored four goals in three Champions League games against City for former club Lyon, almost snatched an equaliser.

Dwight McNeil played the Ivorian in on goal with a good ball but Zack Steffen, handed a rare chance due to Ederson’s late return from international duty with Brazil, stood up to deny him. Cornet did get a second chance but blazed over.

Aymeric Laporte then gifted the Clarets another opportunity when he gave the ball away to Jack Cork, whose effort was blocked by John Stones. Still the danger was not clear but Josh Brownhill shot narrowly wide.

Despite their carelessness, City remained the stronger side and had further openings as Mahrez shot tamely at Pope and miscued another effort well over. Raheem Sterling connected with an acrobatic effort from a Mahrez cross but Nathan Collins blocked.

De Bruyne also led a strong charge upfield but the move broke down when Sterling miscontrolled in the area while Silva also missed the target.

Laporte’s uneasy half ended with a booking after a late challenge on McNeil.

City upped the tempo after the break and Mahrez clipped the top of the bar.

Burnley were unable to create anything of substance and City made victory certain 20 minutes from time with an emphatic finish from De Bruyne.

The visitors felt Mahrez fouled Ashley Westwood in the area as City attacked but nothing was given and De Bruyne thumped home unerringly.

City felt they could have had a penalty late on after a James Tarkowski challenge on Foden.

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BURNLEY’S OWNER ALK OFFERS TO BUY ALL THE SHARES OWNED BY THE CLUB’S FANS

Burnley’s owner ALK has offered to buy the remaining shares owned by the club’s supporters.

The American investment group, headed by chairman Alan Pace, bought a controlling stake in the club last December.

Around six per cent of the club is still owned by individual shareholders and ALK insist there is no obligation for fans to sell.

Pace said: “We wanted to do the right thing by our fans and shareholders by putting together this offer. It would be a shame to not provide a considered offer to the group.

“It has been an incredibly busy period since we became custodians of Burnley FC, but we feel it is now worthwhile to proceed in this manner and to make an offer to purchase fan-owned shares should the holders wish to sell.

“I want to stress, however, that this offer is purely an option for the shareholders. They are not required to sell and should not feel obliged to do so. We welcome and are happy for them to continue their support for Burnley FC and remain part of the club shareholder group.”

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NORWICH CLAIM FIRST POINT OF SEASON IN DRAB DRAW AT BURNLEY

Burnley and Norwich saw their winless starts to the Premier League continue as they fought out a goalless draw which at least provided a first point of the season for the Canaries.

The first 0-0 draw between these clubs – after 44 meetings in all competitions – neatly summed up how their seasons are going to date.

Sean Dyche celebrated 400 games in charge of the Clarets and there was a first Burnley clean sheet of the campaign but those were among the few positive statistics on an afternoon when they extended a club-record winless home run to 14 matches.

Norwich at least ended their miserable run of 16 straight defeats in the top flight but there was little on show at Turf Moor to hint a radical change of fortunes is imminent.

The form of both sides coming into the fixture suggests this could be a Championship fixture next season and it played out like one for much of the afternoon with a lack of quality on show.

Max Aarons flashed an early shot wide for Norwich after Matt Lowton had his pocket picked by Teemu Pukki, who would prove a pest for a Burnley defence without the influential Ben Mee – out with an injury to allow Nathan Collins a Premier League debut in his place.

The summer signing from Stoke was in the thick of it with 15 minutes gone when he was caught by Tim Krul as he came for a free-kick – but Burnley shouts for a penalty were waved away by Kevin Friend.

Tempers frayed again soon afterwards when Chris Wood was booked for a late tackle on Ozan Kabak – the first of four Burnley players to be cautioned before the break.

Their sense of frustration was further fuelled as Friend waved away further penalty claims, though none of them were clear.

Matej Vydra was eased over by Grant Hanley as they chased a loose ball before Jay Rodriguez – who replaced the dazed Czech in the 35th minute – saw his header hit Hanley’s chest, then his arm.

Lowton then hit a shot against Dimitris Giannoulis’ outstretched arm late in the half, though the defender knew little about it.

Instead, the closest Burnley would come to breaking the deadlock in the first half was a Lowton cross which Mathias Normann inadvertently headed at goal, with Krul adjusting well to hold on to the ball.

The angst of the Burnley fans only increased in the second half.

Rodriguez was guilty of an air shot when Krul’s interception of Josh Brownhill’s cross sent the ball spinning invitingly up in the air.

Dwight McNeil then missed an even better chance, looking surprised as Johann Gudmundsson’s cross floated over Rodriguez to find him in acres of space at the back post, bouncing off his leg and harmlessly wide.

In between times, Normann had spun his way into the Burnley box before sending a rising shot over Nick Pope and on to the roof of the crossbar.

The visitors threatened again when Charlie Taylor had to clear from under his own crossbar as Aarons stretched to meet Giannoulis’ cross.

Burnley continued to probe. Taylor went down in the box claiming a push from Aarons but got a familiar response from Friend.

Substitute Ashley Barnes then dragged Krul wide but when he lifted his cross towards the centre of goal, he saw there were no team-mates waiting.

Brownhill then linked up with Taylor to float the ball over for Lowton but he sent his header narrowly over and both sides settled for an uninspiring draw.

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JAMIE VARDY SCORES ON BOTH NETS BUT RESCUE A POINT FOR LEICESTER AGAINST BURNLEY

Jamie Vardy scored an own goal but still rescued a point for Leicester and kept winless Burnley waiting for their first victory of the season.

The striker put through his own net for the first time in his career but his brace ensured the Foxes grabbed a 2-2 draw.

Maxwel Cornet’s goal left Burnley on the brink of their first win at Leicester for 14 years before Vardy struck with five minutes left.

Chris Wood thought he had stolen the points in stoppage time when he headed in but the goal was correctly ruled out by VAR for offside.

The draw kept the battling Clarets, who impressed with their defensive resolve, in the Premier League drop zone while the Foxes sit 12th.

Matt Lowton set the tone early when he produced a fine block to deny Harvey Barnes when he arrived to meet Ademola Lookman’s cross

Youri Tielemans drilled over before teeing up Vardy, only for the striker to head over after 10 minutes.

The forward, making his 400th career appearance, should have scored and he marked his milestone in the worst possible fashion by giving Burnley a 12th-minute lead.

The Clarets had been bright going forward and when Cornet won a corner, Ashley Westwood swung it in and Vardy, at the near post, glanced the ball past his own keeper Kasper Schmeichel.

Leicester mounted a response and Barnes tested Nick Pope from distance as the hosts dominated the ball.

Burnley held firm, although they needed Lowton to be in the right place to brilliantly block Vardy’s close-range effort after Ricardo Pereira was allow to deliver from the right.

The striker would have been forgiven for thinking it was not his day but he came good eight minutes before the break.

Referee Chris Kavanagh played a good advantage after Barnes was clobbered and when Tielemans fed Vardy his first-time effort found the bottom corner.

Yet, just three minutes later, Burnley stunned the Foxes again when Cornet grabbed his first Clarets goal.

The industrious Vydra wriggled free on the right and his deep cross found Cornet to arrow a fine volley past Schmeichel from 12 yards.

But Burnley suffered a blow when the Ivory Coast international was forced to limp off soon after with a hamstring injury – not before being booked for time wasting having come back on the pitch for treatment.

It would have been a relief for the Foxes’ defence, again struggling without the influential Jonny Evans, who continues to battle a foot problem.

That was recognised by Brendan Rodgers, who went to a back three at the break as Timothy Castagne replaced Pereira.

Leicester, though, failed to rediscover composure after the restart with Schmeichel particularly guilty of poor decision making and battling Burnley remained equal to their threat.

James Tarkowski frustrated Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho was introduced as Leicester tried to find a second leveller.

Again, they dominated possession but failed to force Pope into any meaningful save with Iheanacho seeing a shot blocked.

Rodgers’ decision to replaced Lookman with James Maddison was met with jeers from the home fans to underline their frustrations.

Tarkowski headed Tielemans’ drive behind with seven minutes left and, just as it looked like Burnley would hold on, Vardy struck again.

Iheanacho put him clear on the left and, when Pope raced out, the striker rounded him to roll in the equaliser.

There was still time for more drama in stoppage time when Wood headed in but the goal was ruled out for offside by VAR.

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JAY RODRIGUEZ SCORES DOUBLE BRACE AS BURNLEY THRASH ROCHDALE IN CUP TIE

Jay Rodriguez scored four second-half goals as Burnley beat Lancashire rivals Rochdale 4-1 to book their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

After Jake Beesley had given Rochdale a shock 1-0 lead, Rodriguez ran riot at Turf Moor as two headers sandwiched a right-footed finish before a lucky rebound put the Clarets out of sight in the 75th minute.

Burnley secured their first home win in any competition since January, but were given a scare after falling behind in the first encounter between the two Lancashire sides in 28 years.

Sean Dyche made eight changes following Saturday’s narrow home defeat to Arsenal and one of them, summer signing Maxwel Cornet, could have marked his full debut with a first-half hat-trick.

But the Ivory Coast international was twice denied by on-rushing Rochdale goalkeeper Jay Lynch and later fired wide with the goal at his mercy.

Dale striker Beesley was thwarted by Burnley goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey’s legs and Aaron Morley curled a free-kick just off target.

Burnley did not fully bare their Premier League teeth until the 37th minute, but when they did it was by far the highlight of the first 45 minutes.

Matej Vydra and Rodriguez combined beautifully on halfway to set Cornet free, but he dragged a low left-footed shot wide.

Burnley took control as half-time beckoned, but failed to capitalise and Dale winger Jimmy Keohane served warning for the visitors when he curled a shot off target.

Dale caught Burnley cold at the start of the second half. Beesley showed excellent composure when picked out by Morley’s pass into the box and slid home a low finish into the bottom corner.

But the visitors’ lead did not last long as Burnley swept forward and Rodriguez rose highest to head home a 50th-minute equaliser from Cornet’s header.

Rodriguez slammed home his second after being teed up by Vydra and two minutes later headed home Ashley Westwood’s cross at the near post.

Tempers flared immediately after Rodriguez had sealed his hat-trick and referee Geoff Eltringham was quick to diffuse a melee.

Dale battled bravely on and threatened twice more through Danny Cashman and Corey O’Keeffe, but Rodriguez was not finished.

Aaron Lennon’s cross was cut out by unlucky Dale defender Eoghan O’Connell and the ball ricocheted on to Rodriguez and into the net.