Burnley were frustrated by a rejected first-half penalty appeal as they were held to a goalless Championship draw by a stubborn Derby side at Turf Moor.
The home side, seeking to put pressure on Sheffield United and Leeds at the top of the table, were convinced that defender Nat Phillips handled Josh Brownhill’s cross-shot in the 33rd minute.
Brownhill had been teed up by Jeremy Sarmiento after a Callum Elder’s poor clearance had put the visitors under pressure, with Phillips claiming the shot had come off his shoulder as referee Andy Davies ignored Burnley protests.
Derby’s point ended a run of three-straight league defeats and perhaps eased some of the pressure on head coach Paul Warne, whose side have now gone six matches without victory.
They might have inflicted Burnley’s first home defeat of the season, but Jerry Yates failed to take a clear double chance 10 minutes into the second half after being played in by midfielder Kenzo Goudmijn, with his first shot kept out by goalkeeper James Trafford and his second, from a tight angle, finding the side-netting.
Burnley – whose run of four-straight victories had ended with a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough last Friday – created several promising moments during the first half.
Sarmiento was their chief threat during the early stages, bursting forward after turning away from Luke Thompson near the halfway line and feeding Brownhill, whose attempt to catch out Jacob Widell Zetterstrom by taking the shot early was thwarted as the Swedish goalkeeper clawed the ball aside.
Sarmiento was unlucky not to get reward after exchanging passes with Connor Roberts and smashing a first-time shot that flew just wide off the unwitting Brownhill.
Burnley centre-back Bashir Humphreys, on loan from Chelsea, got free of Derby’s defenders to glance well wide from a Lucas Pires corner as the home side continued to press, shortly before the penalty appeal against Phillips that went unheeded.
Derby, having failed to register a shot on target in the first half, were more of a threat in the second – and had Yates been more ruthless in front of goal, they would have led.
Burnley winger Luca Koleosho, who was brought on as a substitute with 21 minutes to play, made an immediate impact as he was sent through by Sarmiento, but Widell Zetterstrom timed his advance from his line just right to block.
The goalkeeper was in the right place again to gather Sarmiento’s flicked header from a Roberts ball in.
Luke Thompson went close for Derby in the final 15 minutes, controlling and lashing a dipping shot just over after Maxime Esteve had headed out Elder’s left-wing cross, while substitute Marcus Harness rolled a 20-yard shot narrowly wide in injury time.
