Burnley’s spirited fightback counted for nothing as Mikkel Damsgaard’s injury-time goal and VAR drama in the 100th minute saw Brentford earn a dramatic victory at Turf Moor.
Bees boss Keith Andrew looked set to celebrate his new long-term deal with a comfortable win amid a mutinous atmosphere from the Clarets fans when first-half goals from Damsgaard, Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade put the visitors three up.
But an own goal from Michael Kayode at the end of the first half was followed by efforts from Jaidon Anthony and Zian Flemming, with the latter then seeing a fourth ruled out for the most marginal of offsides.
There was a cruel sting in the tail for the hosts, though, as three minutes into stoppage time Damsgaard tucked the ball into the bottom corner.
Still Burnley thought they had earned a point when, with the clock ticking towards 100 minutes, veteran Ashley Barnes found the net only for VAR to intervene again and the goal be ruled out for handball.
With a hint of spring in the air and four points from their last two games on the road, there was a lighter mood than of late around Turf Moor ahead of kick-off.
But that seemed a distant memory 34 minutes in when Brentford scored their third goal, prompting booing from the home fans and chants against owner Alan Pace from a section of supporters.
The first gaping hole in Burnley’s defence appeared in the 10th minute when Damsgaard, one of five changes made by Andrews, was given time and space on the edge of the six-yard box to head in Dango Ouattara’s corner.
Schade, another man to come into the starting line-up, should have made it two in the 24th minute but he shot wide from Ouattara’s low cross with only Martin Dubravka to beat.
Thiago was never likely to be as generous and just a minute later he got his chance, too strong and quick for the Burnley defence as he ran onto Damsgaard’s through ball and calmly found the bottom corner.
Soon it was three, with Burnley unable to handle the returning Kayode’s long throw. Lucas Pires did well to block Sepp van den Berg’s header on the line but Schade was first to the rebound.
Even a goal back in injury time did not prevent Burnley fans sending their players down the tunnel to a furious reception, but it gave them something to hang onto.
Anthony possesses real quality and his cross-shot had too much pace for Kayode, who could only divert it into his own net past Hakon Valdimarsson – making just his second Premier League start with Caoimhin Kelleher absent after his partner gave birth.
Scott Parker made a double substitution for the second half, sending on Lesley Ugochukwu and Lyle Foster, who had both been unwell, for Josh Laurent and Jacob Bruun Larsen.
And the game took on a different hue less than two minutes later when Anthony found space at the far post and again saw his shot go in off the unfortunate Kayode.
Burnley had come from two down to beat Crystal Palace and they had the fans back on side as they pushed for an equaliser, which arrived to scenes of jubilation in the 60th minute.
Hannibal Mejbri, who had been firing up his team-mates and the home supporters, sent in a brilliant deep cross from the left that Flemming headed expertly inside the post.
Ugochukwu then saw a shot deflected past the post and Flemming almost grabbed a second as shell-shocked Brentford tried to hang on.
It seemed Flemming had scored his second with 12 minutes remaining when he bundled in from Anthony’s cross but, after a lengthy VAR check, it was ruled the winger’s shoulder had been offside.
Both sides pushed for a winner and it was Brentford who found it, Damsgaard converting Rico Henry’s cross, with luckless 36-year-old Barnes denied at the death when it was ruled he had controlled the ball with his hand.
More boos greeted the final whistle, but this time in support of the home side, who could count themselves extremely unfortunate.
