Sam Vokes goal lifts Burnley to victory over promotion rivals Hull
Burnley moved to within a point of Hull at the top of the Sky Bet Championship after Sam Vokes' third goal in four games saw the Clarets win 1-0 at a rain-swept Turf Moor.
Despite the entertaining game, it remained goalless until the 77th minute when Vokes scored a predatory winner to extend Burnley's unbeaten run to seven games.
And with Middlesbrough also drawing at home to Blackburn, Sean Dyche's men now sit third, a point behind both Boro and Hull.
Both sides played their part in an end-to-end first half, but the Clarets opened more purposefully and could have been two up inside the opening five minutes.
Ben Mee's far-post header forced Tigers goalkeeper Allan McGregor into a superb point-blank save, while Michael Keane then nodded over the bar from close range.
The visitors responded with in-form frontman Abel Hernandez firing a shot on the turn narrowly wide.
Just three minutes later Hernandez latched on to a super through-ball from Jake Livermore, only to then drag a shot disappointingly well wide.
Joey Barton rolled back the years with a couple of narrow misses inside a minute of each other.
The veteran midfielder saw a well-struck 25-yard free-kick palmed away by the alert McGregor, before then being denied by the visiting goalkeeper, who acrobatically tipped a far-post header over the crossbar.
The Tigers thought they had broken deadlock through Robert Snodgrass' effort only to see Burnley custodian Tom Heaton produce a marvellous save.
Just before the interval, the hosts came closest to opening the scoring. Barton clipped in a precise cross for Vokes, who volleyed into the ground, with the ball then fizzing a whisker over the top.
The first chance of the second half went Hull's way. Talented right-back Moses Odubajo took a step inside before drilling in a shot from 20 yards that Heaton had to dive full length to beat away.
Just before the hour mark the Tigers threatened again as Hernandez met Snodgrass' measured pass, only to be thwarted by a brave stop from the advancing Heaton.
At the other end, and as the conditions worsened on a grim Lancashire afternoon, Andre Gray came close as he saw a strike bravely blocked by Curtis Davies.
The Tigers continued to boss proceedings as the final 20 minutes approached, however.
Isaac Hayden drilled a shot narrowly over, while from the opposite flank Livermore went for the top corner, but missed by a couple of feet.
The Tigers ought to have registered after 68 minutes, but the normally deadly Hernandez headed wildly off target as he dived in to meet Sam Clucas' super cross.
It was against the run of play when Burnley struck in the 72nd minute, courtesy of the clinical Vokes.
He mopped up to slot in his eighth goal of the season after McGregor could only parry a piledriver from Barton, and it proved to be the winner as the hosts saw the game out.
Source: PA
