Burnley’s quest for a 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 draw in the Championship. The Ghanaian winger, who arrived on loan from Belgian side Union Saint‑Gilloise on deadline day, unleashed an angled shot from the edge of the box that curled past the far post, securing his inaugural goal for Derby and salvaging a point for the visitors. The match had seemed to tilt in Burnley’s favour after Switzerland forward Zeki Amdouni headed home from a corner in the 34th minute.

Amdouni’s powerful header, directed at the far post, beat Derby keeper Josh Vickers, who had only managed to parry a Lucas Pires delivery. The goal appeared to give the newly appointed manager Nicky Hayen a much‑needed lift, easing the mounting pressure on a coach who had taken charge only in July and was already facing scrutiny over his future. However, Fuseini’s late strike meant Burnley stayed at the bottom of the table, still without a win, after failing to claim all three points from a match Hayen had labelled a "must‑win" before kickoff. In an effort to rejuvenate a side that had been beaten by Swansea the previous weekend, Hayen made six changes to his starting eleven.

He dropped goalkeeper Max Weiss and former Manchester City defender Kyle Walker, while recalling winger Marcus Edwards, who had been omitted from Burnley’s 25‑man EFL squad earlier in the month. Derby, also entrenched in the relegation zone and hampered by a lengthy injury list, created the opening chances just after the quarter‑hour mark. Midfielder David Ozoh unleashed a long‑range effort that was deflected wide, and a subsequent corner delivered by Joe Ward saw defender Dion Sanderson meet the ball at the far post, only to head it back across the goalmouth.

Amdouni’s header gave Burnley the lead, but Derby nearly equalised three minutes before the break. Former Blackburn striker Sammie Szmodics broke free on a long ball from Ward, only to collide with defender Gregoire Coudert, who was in the goal.

With the keeper down, Ryan Hedges’ follow‑up was blocked by Igor Julio, and Carlton Morris’s loose ball was sent wide 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 to restore parity just 50 seconds after the restart. He surged down the left flank and unleashed a fierce angled strike that Coudert tipped away at the near post. Hedges then produced a good chance from 12 yards, but his effort flew wide as Burnley struggled to deal with a long throw from Derby.

Burnley attempted to extend their lead, with substitute Largie Ramazani finding space only to be denied by a well‑timed block from Sanderson after Jacob Bruun Larsen and Pires combined to set him up. Later, Coudert made a superb low‑handed save to the left, denying Bobby Clark’s 20‑yard effort inside the final quarter of an hour. Yet Derby’s persistence paid off when Rhian Brewster sent Fuseini on a run down the right, and the winger calmly slotted home the equaliser, sparking celebrations among the visitors.

In the post‑match interview, Burnley’s manager Nicky Hayen was candid about his uncertainty regarding his role after the international break. "I don’t know," he admitted when asked if he would still be in charge for the upcoming trip to Watford on October 10. "I really hope so because I work 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 fixture as a "must‑win" against a fellow relegation‑battler, but he could not predict the ramifications of the dropped points. "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, have feedback and an honest conversation. I don’t know what’s going to happen. 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, always a fighter. Tomorrow I come back with new positive energy. That’s how I work, and that’s the energy I want to bring to the players and the club." Derby County’s manager John Eustace praised his side’s defensive discipline for most of the encounter, conceding only the soft goal that allowed Burnley to take the lead.

"David Ozoh switched off for their goal. Part of his development is learning. Games are won and lost on set pieces, which everyone knows.

If we had lost today from that, it would have been a real kick in the teeth," Eustace said. He also highlighted Fuseini’s composure, noting the player’s habit of performing a cartwheel after scoring. "I saw it in his highlights reel that he likes to do a cartwheel when he scores, and I said he won’t be doing it again. But when he scored, I asked him if he did his cartwheel, and he said yes.

So I hope there’ll be a few more cartwheels to come," he added. Both managers acknowledged the fine margins that have defined their clubs’ early season trajectories.

Burnley must now regroup, find a way to convert chances and climb out of the relegation zone, while Derby will look to build on the point earned and continue their battle to avoid the drop. The Championship remains a fiercely competitive league where every point can be pivotal, and both sides will be eager to turn their fortunes around in the weeks ahead.