Luton Town 1-4 Burnley: Parker´s Clarets start with handsome victory

Scott Parker enjoyed a fine start to his reign as Burnley head coach as the Clarets opened their Championship campaign with an emphatic 4-1 victory over Luton Town.

Josh Brownhill’s low finish opened the scoring inside six minutes before Wilson Odobert added a second before the break.

Tahith Chong halved the deficit early in the second half and the hosts pushed for an equaliser against one of the sides they joined in being relegated from the Premier League last term.

However, Dara O’Shea headed in a third to kill off any hopes of a comeback, then Vitinho’s late strike added a further flourish to the scoreline.

The win takes Burnley up to second – behind Sheffield Wednesday – in the table at the conclusion of matchday one, while Luton sit 23rd, only above Wayne Rooney’s Plymouth Argyle.

Opening night delight pic.twitter.com/uc4IiScnrt

— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) August 12, 2024

Data Debrief: Clinical Clarets make flying start

The full-time scoreline did not tell the entire story of Monday’s game, with Burnley only slightly edging the expected goals (xG) battle by 1.21 to 1.07.

Parker’s men also spent long periods chasing the ball with Luton enjoying 57.9% of the possession, yet the Hatters could not make that count.

They only hit the target three times throughout the match while creating two big chances to Burnley’s four.