PARKER’S FRUSTRATION: BURNLEY BOSS "REALLY PROUD" BUT GUTTED TO MISS LATE CHELSEA WINNER
Scott Parker reacts.: Discover how Burnley’s tactical plan neutralised Chelsea and why the boss is "frustrated" despite the draw.
Scott Parker walked off the pitch feeling a mix of pride and, honestly, just a bit frustrated after Burnley’s wild draw with Chelsea.
He looked back at the match and thought his team could’ve won it, should’ve, maybe. Jacob Bruun Larsen had a golden chance to steal it right at the end, almost a carbon copy of Flemming’s earlier goal, but it just didn’t go in.
“I’m really proud of the group,” Parker said after the game. “But yeah, there’s some frustration too.
“We missed a huge chance at the end. That could have changed everything. Still, I can’t really ask for much more from the team.
“Last weekend, we let ourselves down in the FA Cup after a great win away at Crystal Palace. The noise around us got louder after that.
“But today, the players showed real resilience. We went a goal down early, in a tough place like this, against a team with so much talent.
“We stuck with it, grew into the game, especially in the first half, and got ourselves level.
“And, as I said, it’s tough not to feel a bit frustrated that we couldn’t grab all three points at the end.”
Even when it was eleven against eleven, Parker liked how his players handled things.
“I thought the way the players stuck to the game plan today was spot on,” he added.
Chelsea is so strong through the middle. They’re always trying to get Palmer and Fernandez on the ball and play through that area. But we protected the middle really well. We needed to slow their tempo, and we did.
“What I liked most was how aggressive we were at the right times, pressing from certain spots. We pulled that off.
Chelsea is a top side with top players. We did really well today and earned our points.”
"NOT A PENALTY": FORMER KEEPER ROB GREEN DEFENDS REFEREE AFTER BOWEN ANKLE CLIP CONTROVERSY
West Ham's survival fight gets tougher: Discover why the 95th-minute penalty was denied and analyse Nuno's tactical mistakes.
Sam Barrott made the right call when he didn’t give West Ham a penalty against Bournemouth on Saturday.
The match at London Stadium, yeah, that one on February 21 got really tense in the 95th minute. Jarrod Bowen had a chance, set up by Crysencio Summerville, but sent his shot wide. Right after, Adrien Truffert clipped Bowen on the ankle. The thing is, by the time Truffert actually made contact, Bowen had already taken his shot.
Rob Green, who used to be West Ham’s goalkeeper, didn’t think it was a penalty either. He pointed out that Truffert only put a bit of pressure on Bowen, nowhere near enough contact for a spot-kick.
Nuno Espirito Santo has a few things to answer for after that draw. This was a match West Ham really needed to win; if they’d gotten all three points, they would have caught up with Nottingham Forest, who sit in 17th.
Honestly, the game was pretty flat. Both teams seemed more interested in not making mistakes than actually attacking. Summerville and Taty Castellanos tried to make something happen, but in the end, the 0-0 draw felt inevitable.
During the match, Green said on BBC Radio 5 Live, “This was the chance West Ham was waiting for. Truffaert just put enough pressure on Bowen. I can’t see how it is a penalty. It was enough pressure without there being enough contact.” Hard to argue with that.
A lot of West Ham fans are probably frustrated with Nuno’s choices. He waited until the 72nd minute to bring on Callum Wilson and only swapped Mohamadou Kante for Soungoutou Magassa late on. Adama Traore stayed on the bench, which surprised plenty of people.
Now, after dropping two points at home, West Ham fans are right to worry a bit. The schedule doesn’t get any easier. Next up, they go to Anfield to face Liverpool. Then it’s a trip to Craven Cottage to play Fulham. After the FA Cup, they’re up against Manchester City and Aston Villa. It’s tough to see where the wins are coming from.
With just 11 games left, those two points they missed out on could end up making a huge difference in the fight to stay up.
BURNLEY BACKS HANNIBAL: CLUB LAUNCHES MAJOR POLICE REPORT OVER RACIAL ABUSE OF MIDFIELDER
Burnley takes action! Discover the club's police report regarding Hannibal Mejbri’s abuse and the star’s powerful response.
Burnley didn’t hold back after young midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was hit with racial abuse following their Premier League match against Chelsea. The club put out a clear statement, calling out the abuse and saying, flat out, there’s zero tolerance for racism.
Meanwhile, Liam Rosenior is catching a lot of flak for his team selection against Burnley. Fans even called one of his players 'pathetic' – not exactly the feedback you want to see.
But back to Hannibal. He didn’t stay quiet. The 23-year-old shared just one of the awful DMs he got after the game, posting a screenshot on Instagram with a simple caption: “pfft…” It says a lot without saying much.
Burnley didn’t just talk; they acted. They reported the abusive message to Instagram and the police. Their statement, posted on the club website, makes it clear: they expect Meta, the Premier League, and the police to back them up and help track down whoever’s responsible. Burnley added that Hannibal has their full support, along with the backing of Burnley fans who’ve already spoken out against the abuse.
Hannibal himself posted another story, writing, “It’s 2026, and there are still people like that…” You can almost hear the frustration.
Sadly, this isn’t new for him. Last season, after a match, Preston North End’s Milutin Osmajic got fined £21,000 by the FA for what they called an “aggravated” breach of their rules. Osmajic denied it but had to complete an education course and sat out nine games.
The issue’s making headlines across football, especially after Real Madrid’s Vini Jr accused Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni of using a racial slur during a Champions League match this week. Prestianni has since responded, but the problem isn’t going away.
Burnley’s statement on behalf of Hannibal cuts right to the heart of it: racism has no place in football, or anywhere else. And they’re not just saying it. They’re pushing for real action.