Opinion: Impossible not to be left with nagging feeling following Burnley's frustrating draw with Wolves

Heading into the final stretch after managing to get the gap safety down to just four points, this was the time to pounce.

Facing a depleted Wolves side, who were without their key dangermen Pedro Neto, Hwang and Matheus Cunha, this was an opportune moment to build on their mini-unbeaten run – which now sits at four games – but add three much-needed points to their tally, not just one.

As it is, with Nottingham Forest beating Fulham, the Clarets now find themselves six points away from 17th spot. That’s not insurmountable by any chance, but it’s a lot bigger than Burnley would ideally want it to be at this late stage of the season.

Mixed feelings

Vincent Kompany is right to say he got the performance he desired. You could tell the hunger was there, right from the off.

We saw confidence flowing back into the players’ veins, in the first-half especially, where they were on the front foot, they were aggressive and they took risks. But calculated ones.

This isn’t the time to be cagey, Burnley have no option but to go for it. And go for it they did and the crowd responded.

The hosts progressed the ball through the thirds well and got into some great attacking positions, but they badly lacked that final touch and they demonstrated a real lack of quality in the final third, especially with their crossing from wide positions.

But in terms of the overall display, Burnley still did enough to get the three points. They just weren’t able to get over the line and get the job done.

This isn’t quite last-chance saloon territory, not just yet. But it does increasingly feel like Everton on Saturday is a must-win. Draws just won’t cut the mustard.

But reflecting on Tuesday night, it’s impossible not to dwell on that nagging feeling of what might have been?

Kept at bay

Burnley came out of the blocks fast and made their intentions clear from the outset. Their pressing was perhaps the most intense we’ve seen all season, they hunted in packs and forced Wolves into mistake after mistake.

They got into promising positions time and time again, but Wolves deserve credit for how they defended their box. They managed to minimise the space in and around it but even when Burnley found a way through, they put their bodies on the line to keep Kompany’s men at bay. Goalkeeper Jose Sa also made some big stops.

This was an entertaining, full-blooded affair though. Turf Moor was rocking, providing arguably the best atmosphere we’ve witnessed at home this season. That applies to those supporters who were fortunate to remain in the stadium, mind, and not those who were forced to evacuate and watch on from the nearby fanzone.

The Clarets faithful were able to identify with this performance and get on board completely with what they were seeing from their team. But is it too little, too late? That remains to be seen.

The most frustrating thing is Burnley were able to get their noses in front with a goal of real quality. Firstly from Dara O’Shea with the initial cross and secondly via Jacob Bruun Larsen, who produced a sumptuous first-time finish to give the goalkeeper no chance.

It was the perfect platform to go and clinch three huge points, but unfortunately those points didn’t arrive. Perhaps they might have done had Burnley not found themselves on the wrong end of another dubious refereeing call.

Once again O’Shea was the man involved, wrongly penalised for a foul on Rayan Ait-Nouri in the Burnley half, despite making no contact with the Wolves man.

Predictably it was Ait-Nouri who was left completely unmarked to head home Wolves’ equaliser with the very last action of the half.

While it is frustrating to be on the wrong end of yet another poor decision, and Kompany is right to voice his anger, he should also be asking questions of his side’s non-existent defending once the set-piece arrives.

Failing to get over the line

Nevertheless, it was still all to play for in the second-half but Burnley, by and large, huffed and puffed. They gave their all and there can be no questioning their efforts, but barring a 10-15 minute period at the start of the half they never really got going.

In fact, they could easily have been caught out on the counter via those large gaps of space in behind, but Arijanet Muric came to their aid on one specific occasion with a superb save.

It was another virtuoso performance from the Kosovan, his third in as many games since replacing James Trafford.

He makes such a big difference, not just with his crucial stops but also with his distribution, picking out passes that don’t even seem on.

He sets the tempo for the entire team, teeing up attacks and being the catalyst for swift moves from one end of the pitch to another.

By my reckoning, he’s been the Man of the Match in all three of the games he’s played since reclaiming the number one jersey. But he wasn’t the only impressive performer, Josh Cullen and Sander Berge worked well in midfield and Wilson Odobert and Bruun Larsen offered a threat.

But Burnley lacked quality in the wide areas, most notably with the two full-backs. Lyle Foster and David Fofana, meanwhile, both struggled to get in the game.

Fofana especially had a real off-night. Too often his touch let him down, resulting in promising moves breaking down.

But as mentioned, the overall performance wasn’t the issue. The displays have actually been there in recent weeks. Results are improving too.

But are they improving fast enough? That’s the million dollar question.