Burnley’s quest for a first league triumph since February was thwarted when Derby County’s Mohammed Fuseini struck a dramatic equaliser in stoppage time, forcing a 1-1 stalemate at Turf Moor in the English Championship. The Ghanaian winger, who arrived on loan from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise on the final day of the transfer window, unleashed an angled shot from the run‑of‑play that curled in via the far post, marking his inaugural goal for the Rams. Earlier in the match, Swiss forward Zeki Amdouni seemed to have delivered the decisive blow for Burnley. In the 34th minute he rose to meet a Lucas Pires corner, directing a powerful header past Derby’s goalkeeper Josh Vickers, who had only managed to smother the ball with his fingertips.
The strike gave the hosts a much‑needed lead and temporarily eased the mounting pressure on new manager Nicky Hayen, who has been under scrutiny since taking the helm in July. However, Fuseini’s late leveller meant Burnley stayed at the foot of the Championship table, still without a win, after failing to secure the three points that Hayen had labelled a "must‑win" encounter before kickoff. The manager had overhauled his side with six changes, hoping to revive a squad that had suffered a defeat at Swansea the previous weekend.
Notably, he dropped goalkeeper Max Weiss and former Manchester City defender Kyle Walker, while re‑introducing winger Marcus Edwards after the player was re‑registered following his omission from Burnley’s 25‑man EFL squad at the start of the month. Derby, also languishing in the bottom three and grappling with a lengthy injury list, generated the opening chances just after the fifteen‑minute 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 rise at the far post, only to flick the ball back across the goalmouth. Amdouni’s header gave Burnley the lead, but Derby came close to equalising three minutes before the break. Former Blackburn striker Sammie Szmodics broke free on a sweeping pass from Ward, only to collide with defender Gregoire Coudert, who was already on the ground. With the goalkeeper momentarily out of position, Ryan Hedges attempted a follow‑up that was blocked by Igor Julio.
The ball fell to Carlton Morris, who sent it wide, and Szmodics’ subsequent low‑angle shot was cleared from within the six‑yard box by Anel Ahmedhodzic. The second half began with Ozoh threatening to restore parity just fifty seconds after the restart.
He surged down the left flank and unleashed a fierce angled strike that Coudert saved at his near post. Shortly after, Hedges drove a good chance wide from twelve yards as Burnley struggled to cope with a long throw‑in. Burnley, having weathered those early scares, began to press for a second goal. Substitute Largie Ramazani found space but was denied by a well‑timed block from Dion Sanderson after Jacob Bruun Larsen linked up with Lucas Pires to set up the chance.
Later, Coudert produced a superb low‑hand save to his left, denying Bobby Clark’s 20‑yard drive inside the final quarter of the hour. The deadlock was finally broken when Rhian Brewster, having been substituted earlier, delivered a pass to Fuseini, who calmly slotted the ball home in stoppage time, securing a point for Derby and leaving Burnley’s winless run intact. After the match, Burnley manager Nicky Hayin addressed the media about his future and the upcoming fixture against Watford after the three‑week international break. He admitted uncertainty about his position, stating, "I don't know if I'll still be in charge when we return, but I hope so because I work extremely hard for this club and want to give back to the fans for their patience.
I understand how disappointed they are and that they sometimes blame me. I have no problem with that." Hayin reiterated that he had described the Derby game as a "must‑win" against another relegation‑bound side, but 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've had a terrible start and this is not what I expected. But I'm always resilient. I'm always a fighter. Tomorrow I come back with new positive energy.
That's how I've always worked, and that's the energy I want to bring to the players and the club." Derby County manager John Eustace praised his side’s defensive effort for most of the match, conceding only the soft goal that led to the draw. He highlighted the development of David Ozoh, noting that "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 also commented on Fuseini’s celebration, recalling that the young winger enjoys doing a cartwheel after scoring. "I saw it in his highlights reel, and when I asked him if he did the cartwheel, he said yes.
I hope there will be a few more cartwheels to come," he added. The match underscored Burnley’s ongoing struggles at the start of the season, with a leaky defence and a lack of clinical finishing costing them vital points. Their inability to convert early chances, combined with defensive lapses, has left them perched at the bottom of the table, while Derby’s late resilience kept them afloat in the relegation battle. Both managers will look to address these issues in training, hoping to turn the tide before the next round of fixtures.
As the Championship season progresses, the stakes remain high for both clubs. Burnley will need to find a way to break their winless streak and climb out of the relegation zone, while Derby must continue to scrape points to avoid a drop into League One.
The upcoming fixtures will be crucial in determining whether either side can reverse their fortunes and secure a more stable position in the league. For fans eager to keep up with the action, live streaming options are available through the Sky Sports app, and highlights can be watched for free on the official Championship platform.
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