English Premier League club Burnley are into the fourth round of this season’s Emirates FA Cup after beating Sky Bet League One club Peterborough United 4-2 at Turf Moor this afternoon.
The Posh failed to settle in Lancashire as they were swept aside by a club who are 35 places above them in the English footballing pyramid.
The home side was ahead after just eight minutes at Turf Moor. Peterborough United struggled to clear the ball following a free-kick and it fell nicely for Burnley striker Chris Wood to get a header in on goal. Posh keeper Christy Pym pushed away his effort but Jay Rodriguez was there to tap the ball home from a couple of yards.
The Clarets added to their lead eight minutes later when defender Erik Pieters found himself with acres of space 30 yards from goal and the player lashed a stunning half-volleyed effort low into the far corner of the net.
Peterborough United debutant Reece Brown went close with his side’s first real chance of the match but his shot across goal went narrowly wide of the far post before Burnley took a three-goal lead when Jeff Hendrick’s deflected strike nestled in the back of the net.
Ivan Toney then wasted a golden opportunity for The Posh when he scuffed a shot wide after the ball landed at his feet following a cross from the left before the same player did get on the scoresheet when he capitalised on a mix up between Burnley defender Matt Lowton and goalkeeper Joe Hart to score.
The home side regained their three-goal advantage shortly after the interval when Aaron Lennon played a neat pass to Rodriguez and The Clarets striker slotted the ball home.
The ever-controversial VAR system checked the goal and correctly deemed the Burnley forward to be onside before the system was used again moments later when Posh midfielder Brown was booked for a high tackle but no red card was awarded by the video assistant.
Peterborough United were a little more composed throughout the second period. The Posh pulled a goal back with 14 minutes to go when the ball bounced around in the Burnley box following a corner kick and substitute Ricky Jade-Jones fired home from six yards. VAR again checked the goal for a foul in the build-up but there was no change to the outcome.
Darren Ferguson’s side pushed forward in a bid to reduce the arrears further but they failed to test Hart again while they were lucky not to concede a fifth goal at the other end when Hendrick’s free-kick crashed off the bar.
The defeat means that Peterborough United have now lost all of their last four matches in all competitions.
