Kompany off to winning start as Burnley boss

Kompany off to winning start as Burnley boss

© AFP 2022
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:08 PM
Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is the new manager of Championship side Burnley
Former Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany is the new manager of Championship side Burnley. Photo: Paul ELLIS / AFP/File
Source: AFP

Vincent Kompany's first competitive match as manager of Burnley ended in a 1-0 Championship win away to Huddersfield Town on Friday.

The former Manchester City captain was appointed as the permanent successor to the long-serving Sean Dyche last month following Burnley's relegation from the Premier League.

On-loan Chelsea winger Ian Maatsen marked his debut with the only goal of the game as Burnley won on their return to the second tier after six seasons of top-flight football.

Friday's match, which marked an unusually early start to the new season because of the World Cup in Qatar getting underway in November, saw Burnley up against a Huddersfield side who just missed out on promotion to the Premier League with a defeat by Nottingham Forest in May's play-off final.

But they were not at their best with Burnley having chances to take the lead before they went ahead.

The 20-year-old Maatsen, having initiated a move down the left, curled a shot from 15 yards inside the right-hand post of Terriers goalkeeper Lee Nicholls in the 18th minute.

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Burnley really should have put the result beyond doubt, with teenage debutant Dara Costelloe missing three chances alone before half-time.

But Huddersfield could not capitalise as Belgian manager Kompany, who who won the Premier League four times in 11 years as a defender with Manchester City, saw his new side take all three points.

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© AFP 2022 photo
© AFP 2022