Westwood Confident Of Net Gains

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Midfielder believes the goals will come again as Clarets the next to test Reds' record

2021-01-19T16:32:47.510Z

Westwood Confident Of Net Gains

Midfielder believes the goals will come again as Clarets the next to test Reds' record

2021-01-19T16:32:47.510Z

Midfielder believes the goals will come again as Clarets the next to test Reds' record

Ashley Westwood is backing the Clarets’ proven Premier League goalscorers to come good.

And the midfielder says the rest of the team must also do their bit to ease the burden as Burnley prepare to face the champions.

Sean Dyche’s men go to Liverpool on Thursday night looking for a first goal in four away games.

But Westwood has faith in the frontmen to end the drought as the Clarets look to turn the tide back their way after narrow 1-0 defeats and a goalless draw at in-form Aston Villa in their last three away games.

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“We know we have a solid unit and defend well throughout the whole team. If we score we usually feel we can see the game out and get the three points. We know our defensive record will always be strong, so it’s just a matter of time,” insisted Westwood.

“We have got four strikers in the building who are known for scoring goals in the Premier League and throughout the leagues, so we’re not worried about that.

“We’d be worried if we weren’t making chances. Then we’d be worried for them, but we are creating chances so I think the time will come.

“They are top strikers. They’ve been in the Premier League for many years now.

“It’s just one of those things. A lot of strikers go through it.

“They are banging them in in training. If they weren’t doing that we’d start getting worried, which is one thing we’re not at the minute.”

Westwood was the last Burnley player to score an away goal for the Clarets at Newcastle United in early October, with a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang own-goal giving Sean Dyche’s men their historic victory at Arsenal last month.

And the central midfield man is looking for the whole team to step up to spread the load and help out the striking quartet of Chris Wood, Ashley Barnes, Jay Rodriguez and Matej Vydra, who boast over 120 Premier League goals between them.

“It’s not easy to score goals in the Premier League,” Westwood added.

“It’s something I say year-in, year-out. Me, Browny, Corky or whoever’s in there, we need to help the strikers out a bit more, although it is difficult.

“We play the two in there (the middle of midfield) and our main job is to keep the defensive shape of the side.

“We do need to chip in with the goals a bit more and that would help the strikers out and not put as much pressure on them.

“We need to take part of that pressure as well.”

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Westwood also scored on his travels at Liverpool a couple of seasons ago when he gave the Clarets an early lead.

Dyche’s side couldn’t hold on to deny the Reds on that occasion, but last season Burnley were the only team to leave Anfield with a point thanks to a Rodriguez equaliser in a 1-1 draw in July.

The defending champions – without a goal themselves in their last three league games – are unbeaten at home again so far this season and haven’t lost a Premier League fixture on home soil since April 2017 – a remarkable run of 68 matches.

The Clarets’ last win at Anfield came in 1974. But having ended a 58-year wait to win at Manchester United a year ago this week, Westwood is hoping for a share in another piece of history after only the width of a crossbar from Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s late strike denied Burnley victory at Liverpool six months ago.

“It was something we wanted to do. We wanted to break that record, like everyone does going there,” he said.

“When we went to Old Trafford it was talked about how many years it had been and it would be nice to do that again on Thursday and be that team to stop Liverpool breaking records.”