Burnley surged into the top half of the Premier League table after an enthralling 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace at Turf Moor.

Two early strikes from Sam Vokes and Johann Berg Gudmundsson were cancelled out by Connor Wickham and Christian Benteke in the second half, before Ashley Barnes grabbed a dramatic late winner.

The striker, who has battled persistent injury problems in recent months, came off the bench to crash home a 90th minute goal after being teed up by Gudmundsson, and the victory means the Clarets now sit ninth in the table.

Here is how Sean Dyche’s side performed.

Defence

Tom Heaton 7 – The Burnley skipper marshalled his defence well all afternoon, but was powerless to prevent Wickham’s wicked finish and Benteke’s impudent penalty. Heaton made a couple of big saves in the first half, including one from Wilfried Zaha, which proved to be a springboard for Gudmundsson’s goal moments later.

Matthew Lowton 6 – The right-back toiled to deal with the interchanging Zaha and Andros Townsend, and kept both relatively quiet throughout the game, while remaining a constant outlet on the right wing when going forwards himself. However, Lowton gave away the penalty from which Palace equalised.

Michael Keane 7 – His usual, dominant self. Keane offered a steady presence at the back, particularly in the air, where he made a total of 14 headed clearances. Against the equally imposing Benteke, Keane won two out of four aerial duels, and made an important block from point-blank range with the visitors in the ascendency.

Ben Mee 8 – Keane has earned plenty of plaudits this season, but his defensive partner was magnificent against the Eagles. Mee seemed to win everything that came his way, making a total of 24 clearances – nine of them headers – and one block. Also won two out of his four tackles and made two interceptions.

Jon Flanagan 7 – The Liverpool loanee was making his first start for the Clarets, and made a convincing case to provide competition for Stephen Ward’s left-back spot. Flanagan showed the rampant attitude which has endeared him to his parent club, and the full-back attempted – and successfully completed – the most tackles out of any player, winning six out of 10.

Midfield

Johann Berg Gudmundsson 8 – The Icelandic winger was superb for Burnley, adding real thrust to the side. His goal was perhaps rather fortuitous, but it was no more than Gudmundsson deserved. He completed a respectable 18 out his 23 passes, with one of his final efforts proving the most important: the perfectly weighted ball for Barnes to notch the winner.

Dean Marney 7 – Marney is proving to be one of the club’s most consistent performers, and he sustained his recent performance levels against Palace. His key stats reveal an honest midfielder’s shift: 29 out of 37 passes completed, one take-on completed, three out of five tackles won and two interceptions.

Steven Defour 7 – The Belgian midfielder was restored to the team following a hamstring injury, and he instantly added extra bite and tenacity in Burnley’s midfield. Defour had the second best pass completion rate out of all his teammates, and married that accuracy with an eagerness to combat Palace’s play in the middle of the park.

Scott Arfield 7 – Another typically workmanlike performance from the Canada international. His quality on the ball – completing 18 out of 25 passes – could have been improved, but Arfield provided constant support in defence to help Flanagan, with the former Huddersfield Town man often tracking either Zaha or Townsend.

Attack

Jeff Hendrick 8 – His best game since joining the club? Hendrick is perhaps not a natural No. 10, but the Republic of Ireland international looked comfortable supporting Vokes all afternoon. The Clarets’ record buy failed with just two passes, with four out of five completed in the attacking third. His display merited a goal which sadly did not come, but showed good promise in offensive areas.

Sam Vokes 8 – The Welshman made it three goals in four games against Palace, and showed a commendable striker’s instinct to scramble home his early strike. Six shots all game is a hallmark of a striker in confident mood, and could have had a hat-trick on another day. Lost out on over half of his aerial duels, but his assist for Gudmundsson’s goal was a brilliant example of link-up play.

Substitutes

George Boyd 6 – Struggled to make a case for a starting berth. Was a bit wasteful in possession but, as ever, his endeavour and will to close down is impressionable and proved important at times.

James Tarkowski 6 – Did not perhaps have enough time to make an impact, but was introduced to purely shore up Burnley’s defence when under threat late on.

Ashley Barnes 7 – Both of his two passes were successful, and he scored the winning goal. Not a bad 10 minute shift.

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