Burnley’s quest for their first league triumph since February was thwarted at Turf Moor when Derby County’s Mohammed Fuseini struck a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time, leaving the hosts to settle for a 1-1 stalemate in the Championship. The Ghanaian winger, who arrived on loan from Belgian side Union Saint‑Gilloise on deadline day, unleashed an angled finish from the edge of the box, threading the ball through the far post to secure his inaugural goal for Derby. The early advantage had seemed to belong to Burnley. In the 34th minute, Swiss forward Zeki Amdouni rose highest to meet a Lucas Pires corner, directing a powerful header past Derby goalkeeper Josh Vickers, who had flapped at the ball after it was whipped in.
The goal appeared to give the newly appointed manager Nicky Hayen a much‑needed lift, easing the mounting pressure on a coach whose future has already been the subject of speculation despite his appointment only in July. However, Fuseini’s late strike ensured that Burnley remain at the foot of the table, still without a win and still mired in the relegation zone after failing to secure the three points that Hayen had labelled a "must‑win" encounter before kickoff. The manager had made six alterations to his starting XI in an attempt to revive a side that had been beaten by Swansea in the previous weekend. The changes saw the dismissal of goalkeeper Max Weiss and former Manchester City defender Kyle Walker, while winger Marcus Edwards was recalled after being omitted from Burnley’s 25‑man EFL squad earlier in the month.
Derby, also entrenched in the bottom three and hampered by a lengthy injury list, generated the opening chances just after the fifteen‑minute mark. Midfielder David Ozoh unleashed a shot from outside the penalty area that was deflected wide, and a subsequent corner delivered by Joe Ward saw defender Dion Sanderson rise at the far post, only to head the ball back across the goalmouth.
Amdouni then capitalised on a second corner, heading Burnley ahead with the match’s first on‑target effort. The visitors came close to equalising three minutes before the break when former Blackburn striker Sammie Szmodics broke onto a long ball from Ward, only to be stopped after colliding with defender Gregoire Coudert. With the goalkeeper down, Ryan Hedges’ follow‑up was blocked by Igor Julio, and a loose ball fell to Szmodics, whose shot from a tight angle was cleared from the six‑yard box by Anel Ahmedhodzic. The second half began with Ozoh threatening again just fifty seconds after the restart, sprinting down the left flank before unleashing a fierce angled strike that Coudert saved at his near post.
Hedges later drove a promising chance wide from twelve yards as Burnley struggled to cope with a long throw from Derby. Burnley’s attempts to extend their lead intensified, with substitute Largie Ramazani seeing his effort denied by a well‑timed block from Sanderson after Jacob Bruun Larsen linked up with Pires to set up the chance.
Derby’s goalkeeper Coudert produced a superb low save to his left, denying Bobby Clark’s twenty‑yard effort inside the final quarter of an hour. Yet it was Derby who found the equaliser when Rhian Brewster sent Fuseini into space, allowing the loanee to finish calmly and restore parity. Following the match, Burnley’s head coach Nicky Hayen was asked whether he expected to retain his role when the team returns from the three‑week international break for their next league fixture away at Watford on October 10.
Hayen responded candidly: "I don’t know. I really hope so because I work very hard for this club and I want to give back to the fans for their patience. I understand how disappointed they are and that they even blame me. I have no problem with that." Hayen reiterated that he had described the Derby game as a "must‑win" against a fellow relegation‑zone side, yet he could not predict the ramifications of the dropped points.
"I don’t know," he said. "You have to ask this question to other people, but I speak a lot with those people also. We always do a recap of the game, get feedback and have an honest conversation.
I know the fans are disappointed. We have had a really bad start and this is not what I expected. But I’m always resilient. I’m always a fighter.
Tomorrow I come back with a new positive energy. That’s how I work, and that’s the energy I want to bring to the players and to the club." Derby County’s manager John Eustace praised his side’s defensive effort for most of the encounter, conceding only the goal that came from a soft lapse.
He noted that David Ozoh appeared to switch off for the opposition’s strike and highlighted the importance of set‑piece proficiency, stating that games are often decided by such moments. Eustace also commented on Fuseini’s celebration, recalling that the young winger likes to perform a cartwheel after scoring. "I saw it in his highlights reel, and when I asked him if he did a cartwheel, he said yes. I hope there will be a few more cartwheels to come," he laughed.
The draw leaves both clubs still battling to climb out of the relegation mire, with Burnley’s winless run extending and Derby’s hopes of escaping the bottom three remaining fragile. Both managers emphasised the need for resilience, learning from mistakes, and maintaining belief among their squads as the season progresses.