Burnley in trouble with EFL over 'weakened team' claims in stalemate at Reading and could face points deduction

Boss Vincent Kompany made six changes for the fixture against the Royals at the Select Car Leasing Stadium, which somewhat irked the home side’s relegation rivals Huddersfield Town.

The Terriers are embroiled in a fight for survival with the Berkshire outfit – who parted company with manager Paul Ince in the days leading up to the clash with the Clarets – and feel that the wholesale changes made by the Premier League’s newest side were unjustified.

Goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, defenders Charlie Taylor and Ameen Al-Dakhil, midfielder Scott Twine, and forwards Manuel Benson and Lyle Foster were all selected at the expense of Aro Muric, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Ian Maatsen, Jack Cork, Josh Brownhill (injured) and Ashley Barnes.

Neil Warnock’s side currently hold a one-point advantage over Reading and own a game in hand against promotion-seeking Sheffield United, who were beaten 3-0 by Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.

But the situation has allegedly angered Town, and led the Yorkshire outfit to point the finger, which has resulted in the EFL writing to Burnley, who may be fined or even hit with a points penalty if found guilty, according to The Sun.

In his post-match press conference, Kompany had told the Burnley Express: "The biggest challenge is to see whether your team is still going to look the same, is it still going to have that same kind of identity, and there weren't any issues.

"It's not as easy as you think it is. You have to take it into account as well as it being an away game. We got to see some players, which is important, we want to get the results, but we were competitive so I didn't feel like we opened up a massive gap, or we massively exposed ourselves.

"We got to see players that we want to see before the end of the season, players that have already done a lot of good things for us this season.

"It’s controlled change. That's how you have to use this period of time. We want to win as much as everyone else, but the truth is we have one advantage between now and the end of the season, in that we have a little bit of time on our hands.

"If we don't do it now, before you know it we're in July and the pressure of the Premier League is starting. I would've been worried if I'd have seen a different team out there, but I didn't. On another day I think we can score, but I have to credit Reading. These games aren't going to be easy."

Meanwhile, Burnley suffered their first loss at Turf Moor in all competitions as QPR bolstered their own survival hopes with a 2-1 triumph.

Manuel Benson had cancelled out Sam Field’s opener, but veteran Chris Martin scored the winner just minutes after coming off the bench.

The victory, only the Hoops’ second in 21 league games, lifted Gareth Ainsworth’s men above Huddersfield at the bottom end of the table.