Eight moments that made Burnley 3-4 Brentford this season’s most chaotic game

Turf Moor has staged relegation scraps and stirring comebacks down the decades, but nothing in recent memory matched the bedlam that unfolded on a grey Lancashire afternoon as Brentford edged Burnley 4-3 in a contest that felt like several matches stitched into 103 breathless minutes.

1. Seven-second scare Igor Thiago’s kick-off was mishit straight to Zian Flemming, who raced clear and dragged wide. The tone was set: mistakes would be punished, and quickly.

2. The set-piece sucker-punch A 10th-minute Dango Ouattara corner found Mikkel Damsgaard unmarked six yards out; the Dane’s header left Martin Dubravka rooted and the away end in raptures.

3. Thiago’s torment Brentford’s front four overloaded Burnley’s back five, and Thiago’s clever movement teased Joe Worrall out of position. On 25 minutes Damsgaard slipped Thiago through for a cool finish and 2-0.

4. The gift that kept giving Lucas Pires’ desperate clearance from a Michael Kayode long throw ricocheted to Kevin Schade, who prodded in the third. Turf Moor booed; the Bees smelled blood.

5. Kayode’s accidental lifeline Deep in first-half stoppage-time Jaidon Anthony’s shot was heading wide until Kayode’s clumsy feet diverted it past his own keeper. 3-1 at the break, but belief stirred.

6. The comeback ignites Within a minute of the restart Hannibal forced a flying save; seconds later his cross deflected off Ethan Ajer and Anthony slammed home via another Kayode touch. 3-2.

7. The roof comes off On the hour Hannibal, again, arced a cross to the back post where Flemming rose above Sepp van den Berg. 3-3, and Burnley had flipped the script.

8. VAR drama, twice In the 78th minute Flemming volleyed in what looked a winner, only for a three-minute VAR review to disallow for Anthony’s offside arm. Then, 10 minutes into added time, Damsgaard tapped in what proved the winner after Barnes was adjudged to have handled in the build-up. Cue a benches-clearing melee, two yellow cards, and jeers that rang round the ground long after Sam Barrott’s whistle ended it at 103:41.

From 3-0 down to 4-3 up, Brentford left with the points; Burnley left with only grievances and a reminder that chaos, once invited, is hard to contain.