The first East Lancashire derby of the season, and since 2017, saw Burnley extend their unbeaten run in this fixture to eight games as Ashley Barnes had an afternoon to remember.

Barnes scored twice, and had a hand in Anass Zaroury’s goal, as the Clarets took charge in the second half.

The veteran striker put the hosts 1-0 up in the 55th minute, and from that Rovers never recovered. Zaroury added a second with 16 minutes remaining, with Barnes on target for a second time with eight minutes to play.

The win moved the Clarets top of the table heading into the World Cup, while for Rovers they now have a month to stew on the defeat with the World Cup break.

While they do so in third place, it comes in the most disappointing circumstances, as they came off second best.

It was a familiar script of failing to respond to a setback, remaining pointless from each of the nine games in which they have conceded first. 

The fitness of Jay Rodriguez had been closely guarded by Burnley, though the Clarets’ top scorer wasn’t included in the matchday 18 due to injury, as Ashley Barnes started in attack.

Jon Dahl Tomasson caught most by surprise when handing Clinton Mola his first league start as he reverted to a back three, with Ryan Hedges and Callum Brittain operating as wing-backs.

There was nervous anticipation among both sets of supporters as the atmosphere switched from hostile to anxious once play got under way.

The expectation was that Burnley would always dominate possession, and that’s how it played out in the early stages, though Rovers would have been content with the areas the Clarets were having the ball.

For any thoughts that this would be more similar to boxing or basketball, the early stages were more akin to chess, a tactical battle between two managers who had set their sides up to be respectful of the other.

Referee David Coote was doing a good job of keeping a lid on things, brushing off any potential flashpoints, including Barnes’ barge into Thomas Kaminski with nothing more than a ticking off.

It wasn’t until the 42nd minute that the first card came, Rovers captain Lewis Travis going into the book for a foul on Vitinho, but thereafter it felt as though the referee was too lenient in his approach.

Rovers hoped he would have put his whistle to his lips to award a penalty as Ben Brereton, on his 150th appearance for the club, felt he was pushed to the floor by an arm in the back from Jordan Beyer, though those appeals were waved away.

Burnley were looking to overload on the flanks, but neither Anass Zaroury or Manuel Benson were able to find their range with shots or crosses, with Daniel Ayala dealing with most things sent into the Rovers box.

Their first efforts came from distance, Josh Brownhill wasted a good shooting opportunity as he blazed over from 25 yards, while Kaminski was equal to a Benson daisy-cutter when cutting in from the left.

Rovers’ hopes of exploiting the hosts’ vulnerability from set plays was let down by their inability to gain any territory.

Indeed, it was a set play of their own that Burnley threatened an opener. Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who became the latest player to pull on the colours of both, met a right wing cross with a powerful header, with Kaminski diving expertly to his left to palm the ball away in the 43rd minute.

He had to do likewise soon after, this one more routine however, as Barnes flicked a header goalwards.

Neither side changed personnel, yet Rovers would have wanted more from their midfield three, after the break.

So they would have been encouraged by Garrett springing a counter-attack with a through-ball for Brereton whose thumping effort was beating away by Arijanet Muric three minutes after the restart.

Gallagher then had to be replaced eight minutes into the second half after taking a knock. He signalled to the bench that he was willing to continue, but Rovers weren’t taking any chances.

In their period playing with 10 men as he received treatment, Burnley also took the lead. A floated ball into the box was taken down by Barnes, and looked to have run kindly for Brownhill, but his attempts to turn home from six yards were denied by a goal-saving Brittain block.

Yet Rovers’ resistance would soon be broken.

Zaroury got the better of Hedges to deliver a left wing cross, and once Ayala couldn’t cut it out, Barnes couldn’t miss, heading home from inside the six-yard box.

Rovers hadn’t adjusted since the change, and buoyed by the goal, Burnley sensed their chance to firmly take a grasp of proceedings.

Tomasson switched to a back four for the final quarter, moving Hedges further forward in a bid to create an equaliser, with John Buckley then replacing Garrett.

Burnley made their first switch, as Nathan Tella replaced Benson, soon after the winger had crossed for Barnes to flick wide of the target.

And Tella almost made an instant impact, seizing on a poor Kaminski kick to drive towards goal, the Rovers keeper atoning for his error by saving at the near post.

It was no surprise therefore when a second Burnley goal did arrive, and the circumstances in which it did. Rovers were left wide open trying to play out from the back, the ball running the way of Barnes, and while his initial effort was saved, Zaroury was on hand to turn in the rebound.

Barnes had an assist to goal with his goal, which would become a brave eight minutes from time. Brownhill worked space down the right, Barnes holding his position 12 yards out as his shot wrong-footed Kaminski and found the corner.

Barnes and Zaroury were given the obligatory ovation with their withdrawals late on, with the result firmly in the bag by that point.

Burnley: Arijanet, Muric, Vitinho, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Jordan Beyer, Ian Maatsen (Charlie Taylor, 82), Josh Cullen, Jack Cork, Josh Brownhill, Anass Zaroury (Johann Berg Gudmundsson, 85), Manuel Benson (Nathan Tella, 71), Ashley Barnes (Halil Dervisoglu, 85)

Subs: Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Connor Roberts, Samuel Bastien

Rovers: Thomas Kaminski, Ryan Hedges, Dom Hyam, Daniel Ayala, Clinton Mola, Callum Brittain, Lewis Travis (Bradley Dack, 76), Tyler Morton, Jake Garrett (John Buckley, 69), Sam Gallagher (Jack Vale, 53), Ben Brereton

Subs: Aynsley Pears, Harry Pickering, Scott Wharton, Tyrhys Dolan