Scott Parker said his Burnley side will never stop fighting (Image: PA)
Scott Parker said his Burnley side will never stop fighting (Image: PA)
Scott Parker was effusive in his praise of “unbelievable” Burnley after the Clarets ended a 16-game Premier League winless skid in a stunning 3-2 comeback to beat Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
It began as a dream home debut for Palace club-record signing Jorgen Strand Larsen, who opened his Eagles account in the 17th minute, then added a second 16 minutes later, but turned into a nightmare for the hosts late in the first half.
Hannibal Mejbri halved the deficit in the 40th minute, four minutes before Jaidon Anthony drew the sides level, and Jefferson Lerma’s own goal made it three for the visitors in seven minutes.
“I’m sorry, there’s not many teams who could do that,” said Parker.
“Not where we are, not where we currently sit, and then coming out of the home fixture against West Ham, where we’re practically getting booed off the pitch by our own fans - and I understand that, I’m not criticising that, I’ve got my views on that - but to come here, to be 2-0 down.
“I’ve got four sons and the one thing I say to them is exactly that. If ever there was learning for them young boys of mine, it’s tonight, because in these moments, when people could wilt, and people could fold, that group - what you see tonight - was unbelievable.”
The contest started 10 minutes late after Burnley found themselves stuck in south London traffic.
Martin Dubravka’s big save denied Ismaila Sarr a stoppage-time equaliser to preserve all three points for the Clarets, who remain second-from-bottom in 19th, six points adrift of West Ham above them.
Parker added: “We had to survive a bit in the second half. We dug deep.
“We had to hold on at times but I thought we defended rock solid in the second half.
“Martin came up with a huge save late on, that was key for us, and saw us over the line.
He added: "The thing that just stands at the forefront of my mind is what this whole group have gone through.
“To come here and do what they did was absolutely incredible, and to be honest that game will live with me for a long, long time.”
He added: "It’s a fantastic feeling. I’m so happy for this group.We’ve all been hurting. We’ve been on a tough run.
“But that performance showed what I’ve said about this group.
“There was fight, spirit, commitment and resilience in abundance to come back from 2-0 down. Not many teams would be able to do that given the run we’ve been on.
“You don’t get that result tonight without a proper resilience - and the ability to stand up and fight.
“We’ve pulled off a brilliant result - everyone deserves huge credit.”
Burnley are now nine points from safety and Parker has vowed they will never give up in the fight for survival.
“We’ll keep fighting, we’ll keep believing," said the Clarets boss who now turns his attention to Saturday's FA Cup fourth round tie at home to Mansfield Town.
“We won’t dwell on the past. What’s happened has happened.
“We’ll focus on the present and what’s to come.
“I’m delighted for our fans. On a wet and cold and miserable night, we’ve given them something to head home happy about.”