Sean Dyche praised the mentality of his Burnley players after they came from behind to beat Champions League-chasing Leicester 2-1 and haul themselves clear of the relegation zone.
Burnley, who had lost their previous four Premier League games, might have been expected to fold after Harvey Barnes fired a dominant Leicester in front in the 33rd minute but the game changed in a lively second half.
Chris Wood poked Burnley level in the 56th minute before Nick Pope saved a penalty from Jamie Vardy, setting the stage for Ashley Westwood to strike an emphatic winner 11 minutes from time.
“I think if we’ve been deserving of a twist that’s it, and we have been deserving,” Dyche said. “We’ve been punished in the last few weeks so many times.
“We’ve had a tough run of games with the results and a few questions about it, but to handle all that and deliver that performance shows the strength of the group.”
Pope was named man of the match, making a number of saves to deny Barnes, Vardy and James Maddison, with his 68th-minute penalty save proving a turning point.
“He was very good today, not because he had a ridiculous amount to do but when he did, he made the saves,” Dyche said. “Not just the penalty but there were a couple of other big saves as well, just by standing up and being what he is, quick reactions from a big frame.”
The win gives Burnley a five-point cushion above the drop zone and lifts the mood considerably ahead of a trip to face Manchester United on Wednesday.
“I look at mentalities and performances,” Dyche said. “I thought the performance was there. They work on it all week, they’ve been excellent all week and they delivered. To have the mentality to go and deliver against the questions from a few different areas is very good.”
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