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 match deadlocked at 1-1 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, curling the ball into the far post with his inside foot.
It was his inaugural goal for Derby and it came at the most crucial moment, snatching a point for the visitors and keeping Burnley winless at the bottom of the table. The home side had seemed poised to claim three points when Switzerland forward Zeki Amdouni headed in from a Lucas Pires corner in the 34th minute. The ball was flicked on by goalkeeper Josh Vickers, and Amdouni rose above the defence to meet the cross at the far post, sending the ball home and giving Burnley what looked like a vital lead. The goal temporarily eased the pressure on new manager Nicky Hayen, who had taken charge only in July and was already under scrutiny despite his short tenure.
Hayen’s pre‑match briefing had labelled the encounter a "must‑win" in order to halt the club’s slide. He responded by making six changes to the starting eleven, dropping goalkeeper Max Weiss and former Manchester City defender Kyle Walker, and reinstating winger Marcus Edwards after the player had been omitted from Burnley’s 25‑man EFL squad earlier in the month. The changes, however, could not prevent Derby – also languishing in the relegation zone and hampered by an extensive injury list – from carving out two early chances within the first fifteen minutes.
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 head the ball back across the six‑yard area. The early pressure hinted at a possible comeback for the visitors, but Burnley’s Amdouni soon restored the home side’s advantage with a powerful header that beat Vickers. Derby threatened to level before the break when former Blackburn striker Sammie Szmodics chased a lofted pass from Ward, colliding with defender Gregoire Coudert and forcing the goalkeeper to the ground.
Ryan Hedges attempted a follow‑up, which was blocked by Igor Julio, while Carlton Morris’s loose ball was cleared to Szmodics, whose effort from a tight angle was cleared by Anel Ahmedhodzic inside the six‑yard box. The second half began with Ozoh launching a fierce angled shot from the left that Coudert saved at his near post, and Hedges later drove a promising chance wide from twelve yards after Burnley struggled to deal with a long throw.
Burnley continued to press, with substitute Largie Ramazani seeing a clear chance denied only by a well‑timed block from Sanderson after Jacob Bruun Larsen and Pires combined to set him up. Derby’s goalkeeper Coudert made another fine save, this time low to his left, denying Bobby Clark’s twenty‑yard drive. Yet the drama was not over. In the dying minutes, Rhian Brewster delivered a pass to Fuseini, who calmly slotted the ball past Vickers to secure the equaliser and salvage a point for Derby.
After the final whistle, Hayen was asked about his prospects of remaining in charge when Burnley return from the three‑week international break for a trip to Watford on October 10. He replied candidly, "I don't know.
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 it." He admitted the Derby match had been billed as a "must‑win" but admitted he could not predict the fallout of the dropped points. "We always do a recap of the game, have feedback and 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 resilient, I'm a fighter. Tomorrow I come back with new positive energy. That's the energy I want to bring to the players and the club." Derby manager John Eustace praised his side’s defensive discipline, noting, "We defended properly for most of the game, apart from the goal, which was a soft one on our part, and we limited Burnley to few chances. David Ozoh switched off for their goal – part of his development is learning.
Games are won and lost on set pieces, everyone knows that. If we had lost today, it would have been a real kick in the teeth. It was a great finish from Mo for the equaliser. I saw in his highlights that he likes to do a cartwheel when he scores, and I asked him if he did it – he said yes.
I hope there will be a few more cartwheels to come." The point leaves Burnley still anchored at the foot of the Championship table, still searching for that elusive first win of the season, while Derby remains entrenched in the bottom three but now with a morale‑boosting draw that could prove pivotal in their own fight against relegation. Both managers emphasized the need for resilience, learning from mistakes, and maintaining belief as the season progresses.