Victory took Sean Dyche's men 14th, eight points clear of the relegation zone Speaking before the match, Dyche said he would not mind if his side did not win away from home all season, as long as they retained their Premier League status. The Clarets arrived at Selhurst Park with the worst away record in the Premier League, having taken just four points from 17 matches and conceded 33 goals. Despite that record - and the changes enforced by Joey Barton's 18-month suspension for betting, and a shin injury to Ben Mee - Burnley took an advantage of an unusually loose home defence in an entertaining first half. And when the Eagles lost their shape, Barnes was the quickest to react as he slid home Ward's low cross.
There were moments that would have worried Dyche - particularly the space Palace were able to exploit as the game progressed - but he and the travelling fans celebrated as Gray ran onto George Boyd's pass and tapped a low strike beyond Hennessey in the final minutes of the game. While Burnley have struggled on the road, Palace's recent problems have been at home - they have scored only seven goals in their past eight games at Selhurst Park. A win here would have all but secured survival, and the thought may not have been far from the minds of players and fans. Seeming uncharacteristically scrappy in defence, Palace settled in the second half and Damien Delaney's half-volley looked to have secured an equaliser, only for Tom Heaton to deny him with a superb diving save.
The final 15 minutes were controlled by Palace, but they were not composed enough in front of goal - Zaha having a side-footed effort blocked by a Burnley head, before Patrick van Aanholt curled over the bar. It was an underwhelming performance, and plenty of their fans headed for the exit before the final whistle. And the club may also face action after Burnley's James Tarkowski was struck on the head by what appeared to be a lighter thrown from the stands as he and the team celebrates Barnes' opening strike.
