Sean Dyche is refusing to press the panic button despite Burnley’s damaging 2-0 defeat at Brentford which left them stuck in the relegation zone.
The Clarets would have climbed out of the bottom three for the first time this season with a victory in west London.
They had their chances, too, with Maxwel Cornet denied by Bees keeper David Raya when clean through and Jay Rodriguez hitting the crossbar.
But two late goals from Ivan Toney settled the match and made it three defeats on the spin for Burnley.
“That’s the story of our season,” said boss Dyche. “We were solid, we never really looked in trouble, then we give away a goal. We were not a million miles away but you have to score a goal and that’s not what we’ve done.
“We had a grip on the game, we had a one on one, hit the bar, we had good energy but we couldn’t find a goal and they did.
“I’ve learned down the years that that’s what happens in the Premier League. You go on a strong run with a confident edge, and all of a sudden you lose three.
“The main thing is stay calm with what we’re doing. We’ve still got games in hand. We’ve got to find goals. That’s been our biggest challenge all season and that’s the biggest challenge from now on.”
Christian Eriksen, starting only his second match for the Bees since joining in January, lifted in a perfect cross for Toney to head home with just five minutes remaining.
Toney then sealed the victory from the penalty spot after being brought down by Nathan Collins, who was sent off on a tough afternoon for the Clarets.
After a torrid run of form since the turn of the year, Brentford now look safe following back-to-back wins which left them nine points clear of 18th-placed Burnley.
“It was a very tight, very competitive game,” said head coach Thomas Frank.
“I think we had more dangerous chances than Burnley. We needed a good save from David but I think if you look overall, a game is 90 minutes and if there was going to be a winner it was probably us.
“Of course the team is happy, after a good performance. Every win in the Premier League is a big thing, it’s so difficult, and to get two in a row is credit to the players.”
