Brentford scored in stoppage time to win a 4-3 thriller at Burnley as the Clarets were controversially denied two comebacks by VAR.
The visitors stormed into a three-goal lead in the first half with Mikkel Damsgaard, Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade all netting, before a Michael Kayode own goal made it 3-1 before the break. Strikes from Jaidon Anthony and Zian Flemming levelled the contest with an hour gone.
VAR, which would go on to dominate the spectacle, then denied Flemming a goal to put the hosts in the lead for the first time with just over 10 minutes to play. Damsgaard sent the away end into ecstasy to make it 4-3 in stoppage time, only for Ashleigh Barnes to score at the death to level again.
But it was a cruel moment of de ja vu as the celebrations were short-lived once more, an agonisingly long VAR review chalking off the equaliser.
Despite thinking they’d blown a three-goal lead at one point, the Bees retain their healthy spot in seventh, with fans surely checking to see if their passports are up to date as they take one step closer to European qualification.
As for Burnley, they remain marooned in 19th with any glimmer of survival rapidly dwindling.
Brentford opened the scoring in the ninth minute, Dango Ouattara swinging in a corner for an unmarked Damsgaard – who had the freedom of Turf Moor – to head home.
The goal came as a blow to Bunley, who had started the game with ambition, breaking the lines in attack and pressing aggressively off the ball.
Their heads didn’t drop, however, and they continued to cause issues for the Bees’ defence. But after Schade somehow failed to hit the target from Ouattara’s delicious cross, Brentford punished the Clarets again in the 25th minute.
Damsgaard turned provider and fed a perfectly weighted through ball to Thiago, who stroked the ball beyond Martin Dubraka with his weaker left foot to score his 18th Premier League goal.
The second goal took the wind out of Burnley’s sails, and Brentford scored again from a trademark Kayode long throw, Sepp Van Den Berg’s header cleared off the line, but only as far as Schade to smash home from a couple of yards out.
The boos rang around Turf Moor, as seething fans – who haven’t seen a win on home soil in over four months – vocalised their frustrations with Clarets boss Parker.
They pulled one back just before half-time, however, thanks to Kayode converting Anthony’s drilled ball into his own net past Hakon Valdimarsson, who was making his Premier League debut in place of Caoimhin Kelleher, who wasn’t in the squad due to the birth of his child.
The Clarets flew out of the traps after the interval and reduced the deficit to just a goal in the 47th minute after a cross went through several bodies in the box to find Anthony, who lashed a strike into the back of the net.
The home crowd, which was verging on toxic at 3-0, spurred their team on, and eventually scored a deserved equaliser on the hour mark. Hannibal’s inviting cross from deep was met by the physically imposing Flemming to nod home after peeling away from his marker.
Burnley thought they’d completed the most remarkable of comebacks with just over 10 minutes remaining as Flemming bundled the ball into the back of the net to send Turf Moor into raptures, but it was chalked off following a lengthy VAR review that found a tight offside in the buildup.
Damsgaard then broke Burnley hearts in the second minute of stoppage time with a powerful strike to take all three points back to west London.
Such a bonkers game deserved a befitting ending to the match, and with the last kick of the game, Barnes struck to level again. But after a painfully long review, VAR intervened and adjudged the veteran to have accidentally handled the ball.