Nathan Tella’s goal in the fourth minute of injury time saw Burnley to a 2-1 victory over the Blues at Turf Moor, ending Town’s FA Cup run at the fourth-round stage. Earlier, Tella had netted his first of the evening in the opening minute for the Clarets but George Hirst had equalised two minutes later with this first goal for the Blues, who matched the Championship leaders for long spells of the two ties.
Town boss Kieran McKenna named the expected much-changed side with only skipper Sam Morsy and centre-half George Edmundson starting from the team which began Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Cambridge United.
Vaclav Hladky started in goal with Janoi Donacien, Luke Woolfenden and Edmundson at the back.
Greg Leigh and Kayden Jackson were the widemen with Morsy, who can play despite having been booked twice earlier in the competition as one of those cards was prior to round three, and Cameron Humphreys in the middle of midfield.
The 19-year-old coming into the team was the only change from the side the Blues fielded in the 0-0 draw with the Clarets at Portman Road 10 days ago with Lee Evans having picked up a knock at the weekend. Sone Aluko and Marcus Harness were the number 10s behind central striker Hirst.
Town, wearing their all-black third kit for only the second time, named a strong bench but Harry Clarke was absent having been cup-tied, while Massimo Luongo and Wes Burns were also absent with manager Kieran McKenna having said at his morning press conference that "three or four” players hadn’t travelled due to knocks.
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany made seven changes from the team which won 3-0 at Norwich at the weekend and gave a first start to South African striker Lyle Foster, who made his debut as a sub in the game at Portman Road having joined the Clarets earlier in the month from Belgian side Westerlo.
The home side opened the scoring with the game less than a minute old. The Clarets carved their way through Town all too easily and Foster cut inside Edmundson in the area but the ball was knocked away from him and fell to Nathan Tella, who lashed into the roof of the net.
But the Clarets’ lead lasted only a minute. Aluko turned on halfway and played a ball down the right and Jackson out-paced Ian Maatsen before cutting back to Hirst, until recently was on loan with Burnley’s great rivals Blackburn, who bundled his first Town goal past Bailey Peacock-Farrell.
The top scorers in the Championship and League One respectively failed to find a goal between them in 90 minutes at Portman Road but managed two in three minutes at the second attempt.
On seven, Leigh forced an error on the Town left and eventually sent over a well-struck cross which flew behind the unmarked Jackson at the far post.
The game settled down after its frenetic start and Burnley began to pass the ball around with a slickness they rarely showed in the first match. On 18 Samuel Bastien unleashed a shot from 25 yards but was too close to Hladky.
In the 28th minute, the Clarets played themselves into trouble on the Town left and the ball was played to Leigh, who sent over a deep cross towards Jackson, which in the end looped over Peacock-Farrell’s bar with the keeper scrambling to get back.
A minute later, the home side gave the ball away again in their own half and Humphreys struck a shot from the edge of the box which deflected wide.
Town’s pressing continued to have an impact and just after the half hour, the Blues again forced the Clarets to give the ball away in their own half and Harness shot through to Peacock-Farrell.
Soon afterwards, Tella sent a dangerous ball across the Town area from the corner of the box on the right but just in front of Bastien.
In the 33rd minute, home skipper Jack Cork was shown the game’s first yellow card for a foul on Aluko on halfway, the veteran and his quick feet having given the Clarets more than a few problems and the travelling Town fans plenty to cheer during the first period.
Three minutes later, Hirst looped an effort wide after the ball had fallen to him in the area following a long throw from the right. On 38, Vitinho joined Cork in the book for a late tackle on Jackson.
Neither side was able to force a chance in three minutes of additional time and the half ended with Humphreys making a strong challenge which the home players and fans felt was a foul but in which referee Scott Oldham showed no interest.
Town could be more than happy with their first-half display. Having gone behind in the opening minute having been pull, Kieran McKenna’s side reacted superbly to level virtually from the restart, Hirst getting himself off the mark for his new club.
From there, Burnley had a spell when they started to look comfortable on the ball but Town quickly put an end to that, dispossessing or forcing errors in their own half on a number of occasions and having most of the game’s shots at goal even if Peacock-Farrell had been relatively untroubled by those efforts.
The home side saw most of the ball in the opening minutes of the second half with the Blues having a bit of a scare after Woolfenden’s pass was cut out midway inside the Town half, but the attack was snuffed out inside the box.
Five minutes after the restart, Tella tried to catch Hladky out with a cross-shot from the right but the Czech keeper was equal to it and punched over. Two minutes later, Hirst was booked for a collision with Ameen Al Dakhil on halfway.
The home side had seen most of the ball since half-time but in the 58th minute Aluko sent Hirst away on the right but the strikers pass failed to find Harness breaking into the area. On 59, Aluko was yellow-carded for a foul.
The Blues began to see more of the ball and in the 65th minute might well have gone in front. Harness sent Leigh away on the left and the former Morecambe man crossed low to Jackson, who took the ball to his left before hitting a shot which Peacock-Farrell stopped.
It was Burnley’s turn to have a chance next, having broken down the right but Bastien’s shot from the edge of the box, which was blocked. Moments later, Tella tricked his way into the area from the left but Edmundson slid the ball behind.
The teams made their first changes as the game moved into its final 20 minutes, the Clarets swapping Cork, Bastien and Vitinho for Josh Cullen, Darko Churlinov and Josh Brownhill, while Town swapped the excellent but tiring Aluko, Hirst and Harness for Conor Chaplin, Freddie Ladapo and Nathan Broadhead.
As the match moved towards its final 10 minutes Burnley had regained control and on 77 Woolfenden turned Tella’s low cross wide at the near post with a queue of Clarets players behind him waiting to add the final touch.
Two minutes later, Jackson, who had had treatment on a couple of occasions during the game, was swapped for Kyle Edwards.
In the 81st minute, home fans appealed for a penalty after Tella went to ground in the area as he went past Edmundson, but the striker looked to have lost the ball and referee Oldham wasn’t interested.
Edmundson suffered an ankle injury in the incident, while Woolfenden also ended up on the deck having been struck by a subsequent shot. The home fans booed the pair - as well as referee Oldham - having already been convinced that the Blues were taking too long over goal-kicks.
On 85, after Johann Berg Gudmundsson had replaced Scott Twine, Charlie Taylor almost launched the ball into the top tier of the Jimmy McIlroy Stand with an effort from distance. Soon afterwards, with the game petering out due to stoppages, Foster suffered what looked to be an ankle injury and was replaced by Ashley Barnes.
The fourth official indicated seven additional minutes with the Clarets putting on the pressure. Hladky save first form Maatsen and then down to his left from Gudmundsson.
And moments later, the Clarets won the tie. A long ball was played down the middle, Woolfenden and Barnes collided aerially, and Tella, always the home side’s most dangerous player, smashed the winning goal past Hladky as Donacien came across to challenge.
Humphreys was booked for a foul late on, then seconds before the whistle, Peacock-Farrell dropped a free-kick from halfway taken by Hladky but with the Blues unable to make anything of it.
Town’s cup run comes to an end, but the Blues can hold their heads high it having taken Championship leaders Burnley 180 minutes plus injury time to beat them. It was the visitors’ end which could be heard singing loudest after the whistle.
The Blues had as many chances as the Clarets in the first half and also had opportunities in the second but the home side finished the stronger having forced a couple of saves just prior to the goal. However, the Lancastrians finished the stronger and chances had started to come regularly in the closing minutes.
Burnley will face Fleetwood in round five at Turf Moor, the Cod Army having beaten Sheffield Wednesday 1-0 in their replay at the Highbury Stadium.
Town’s sole interest in the season is now the League One promotion race with the Owls at Portman Road for a third-v-first clash on Saturday.
Burnley: Peacock-Farrell, Roberts, Al-Dakhil, Taylor, Maatsen, Cork (c) (Cullen 69), Bastien (Churlinov 69), Twine (Gudmundsson 84), Vitinho (Brownhill 69), Tella, Foster (Barnes 87). Unused: Franchi, Beyer, Zaroury, Dervisoglu.
Town: Hladky, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Jackson (Edwards 79), Morsy (c), Humphreys, Leigh, Aluko (Chaplin 70), Harness (Broadhead 70), Hirst (Ladapo 70). Unused: Walton, Keogh, Davis, Burgess, Vincent-Young. Referee: Scott Oldham (Poulton-Le-Fylde). Att: 11,543.