Diouf miss 'a turning point' for both Stoke and Burnley

Mame Biram Diouf's first-half miss for Stoke City against Burnley was pinpointed by both managers as key after the game finished level.

Published : Apr 22, 2018 23:22 IST

Managers Paul Lambert and Sean Dyche both reflected on Stoke City's second goal that never was after Mame Biram Diouf missed a huge chance in their 1-1 draw with Burnley.

In a game that Stoke desperately needed to win to boost their Premier League survival hopes, Diouf miscued just before the break to pass up the opportunity to add to Badou Ndiaye's opener.

And that was to prove costly for the Potters as Ashley Barnes struck after the break to earn a share of the spoils, although Lambert was keen not to criticise front man Diouf.

"If we score the second with Mame Biram Diouf's chance, it's hard for Burnley to come back," he told BBC Sport. "But it was never enough. We had some big moments.

"The one thing about Diouf is he gives you everything. If that ball had come to him when he was more confident in the game, he'd have probably hit it first time. But I'm not going to criticise him because he's been excellent for me."

Burnley boss Dyche agreed that the game may well have turned on that moment.

"It's a turning point in the scoreline," he added. "But I think we just had to adjust things at half-time - half-time can be a wondrous thing sometimes, it gives you that break and the chance to re-evaluate and calm down.

"In the second half, we played better, but how do you know how these games pan out?

"At the moment, we've been here and, even at 2-0, is it done? Not always, but obviously it’s fair to say if they score a second, it’s a bigger challenge."

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