Jay Rodriguez was at the double as Burnley cruised through to the fifth round of the FA Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win at Fulham.
Kevin Long also found the net for the first time in two-and-a-half years to pile on the misery for the west London side.
The Clarets dominated for large periods of the game and made a deserved breakthrough when Rodriguez headed home with just over half an hour gone. It was the striker’s first goal since July and the very least his side’s efforts deserved having already seen a goal disallowed for offside.
Fulham never really turned up, and some lacklustre passing in the first half meant it was hard for them to establish any kind of foothold on the game. They too had a goal disallowed after Serbian forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has recently been struggling for game time, headed home but was caught offside in doing so.
Fulham showed some encouraging signs at the start of the second half and Burnley goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell made a triple save to keep both Mitrovic and last season’s Championship play-off final hero Joe Bryan at bay.
Burnley saw their advantage doubled after 70 minutes when Michael Hector shouldered into Matej Vydra inside the area. The penalty was soft, but the referee’s decision stood. Rodriguez fired straight down the middle and looked to have all but booked Burnley’s ticket into the fifth round.
The enigmatic Aboubakar Kamara went close for Fulham but his effort was cleared off the line after managing to just bend it past the onrushing Peacock-Farrell.
That ticket was eventually confirmed when defender Long bundled in from close range with a little under 10 minutes to go. It was his first goal since September 2018, when he scored against Burton in the Carabao Cup. It capped off a strong display from Burnley while leaving Fulham with a big mental hurdle to clear before facing the week coming up, which sees them play vital games away against West Brom and Brighton in the fight for Premier League survival.
Burnley face Aston Villa at home next and Turf Moor will play host to their next cup game – with the Clarets now preparing to face the winner of Tuesday’s tie between Bournemouth and third round giantkillers Crawley Town, following their excellent win against Leeds United.
By Dylan Chavasse
