Cardiff left scratching heads as Sam Vokes earns Burnley victory

Cardiff 1-2 Burnley: The hosts and their manager Neil Warnock will again wonder how they ended the game pointless after dominating for lengthy spells and equalising through a pearler from Josh Murphy

Burnley got the better of Cardiff with two simple but effective goals to leave Neil Warnock’s side still hunting a first victory back in the Premier League.

Johann Berg Gudmundsson in the first half and Sam Vokes in the second headed home from close range to give the Clarets back-to-back wins after a shocking start to the campaign.

Yet Cardiff and Warnock will again wonder how they ended the game pointless after dominating for lengthy spells and equalising through a pearler from Josh Murphy.

They were left to rue their visitors’ greater top-flight nous as Sean Dyche’s men made the most of their few openings in a game in which both sides adopted a safety-first approach.

It was long-balls, flick-ons and set-pieces all the way with Burnley showing a greater grasp of the ugly arts when it mattered most, scoring with their only two efforts on target.

After an energetic start, Cardiff finally fashioned the first effort on goal of a scrappy opening spell.

It came via Callum Paterson, who seized on a ricochet 30 yards from goal and drove forwards before skimming a 20-yard effort narrowly wide.

They should have taken the lead on 18 minutes with the game’s first piece of incisive play.

Sam Vokes celebrates scoring Burnley’s winner (Getty Images)

Josh Murphy played a clever one-two with Harry Arter wide on the left and cut in towards goal before striking the near post with a low shot with Joe Hart beaten.

The first half had been a dismal spectacle but only a smart save from Hart 10 minutes before the interval prevented Cardiff nicking the lead.

The former England goalkeeper scrambled low to his left to turn a first-time toe-poke from Kenneth Zohore around the post after a series of flick-ons and a neat pass by Victor Camarasa.

From the resultant corner, Cardiff scrambled the ball into the Burnley net but were denied a goal by the award of a free-kick for a foul.

Cardif’s Bruno Ecuele Manga fights for the ball (PA)

Four minutes before the break a solid challenge by Burnley substitute Kevin Long denied Zohore a shooting chance and the corner that followed almost brought the opening goal.

Sean Morrison headed it towards goal, Paterson tried to nod it over the line but Matej Vydra was on hand to leap and head clear crucially for the visitors.

Another frantic scramble on the stroke of half-time saw the Burnley goal lead a charmed life.

Yet Burnley, after a sluggish first half, made the running at the start of the second half and had a penalty appeal rejected before finally taking the lead.

Joe Hart leaves his goal to make a clearance (Getty Images)

Sam Vokes went down under a challenge from Sean Morrison but referee Martin Atkinson ruled there had been insufficient contact, and a minute later it mattered little as the visitors’ next attack brought the opening goal.

It was smart play from Dyche’s men but a catalogue of errors from Warnock’s who allowed Ashley Westwood to collect Charlie Taylor’s quick throw and crss to the far post, where Gudmundsson outjumped Greg Cunningham and headed too easily past Neil Etheridge at his near post.

On the hour-mark, however, Cardiff found a move of quality that had rarely looked likely and drew level as the overlapping Bruno Ecuele Manga picked out Murphy with a low cross and the winger produced an emphatic, curling finish from 15 yards.

Murphy was inspired by his goal and with 23 minutes remaining he tried his luck from the edge of the penalty area with a dipping shot that required a fine, one-handed save from Hart to push it over the crossbar.

With 20 minutes remaining, however, Burnley snatched their second goal as Ashley Westwood’s excellent goal released Gudmundsson, whose cross was headed home by Vokes as he reacted more quickly than Cunningham.

Cardiff: Etheridge; Ecuele-Manga, Morrison, Bamba, Cunningham; Camarasa, Ralls (Madine 79), Arter, J Murphy; Paterson; Zohore (Ward 71). Subs not used: B Murphy, Bennett, Richards, Reid, Harris. Booked: Cunningham.

Burnley: Hart; Lowton, Tarkowkski (Long 27), Mee, Taylor; Lennon, Westwood, Cork, Gudmundsson; Vydra (Wood 72), Vokes. Subs not used: Heaton, Barnes, Wood, Hendrick, Defour, Bardsley. Booked: Westwood, Lowton.

Referee: Martin Atkinson

Attendance: 30,411