As Burnley’s players jogged back to their half after celebrating re-taking the lead against Leicester City, goalscorer Maxwel Cornet paused for a second.
Arms outstretched, he turned back towards the Leicester fans. This was his moment, announcing himself to the Premier League.
Everything about his goal was glorious. The technique was incredible. No hesitation, just complete conviction.
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Matej Vydra’s work in the build-up was key: holding off the challenge of Jannik Vestergaard, twisting and turning, he earned a yard of space and spotted Cornet at the back post, arm raised.
The ball was slightly behind the Ivory Coast winger but he made his mind up quickly. Rotating his body with his back arched, Cornet sent a volley flying past Kasper Schmeichel.
His cameo against Arsenal whet the appetite and his midweek Carabao Cup display against Rochdale was enthralling. Now, though, he was performing on the big stage, from the start, in a tough Premier League away game.
But as quickly as it came, it was taken away.
In the last minute of the first half, Chris Wood received possession and turned, spotting Cornet galloping forward.
The New Zealand forward curled a pass into space for Cornet to race with Ricardo Pereira. Then Cornet slowed down and kicked the ball out of play.
Sean Dyche’s arms were outstretched, unsure of what had happened. Cornet grimaced, holding his right hamstring. He walked back onto the pitch and collapsed to the floor.
It was a microcosm of Burnley’s afternoon. They picked up their second point of the season with a 2-2 draw, twice taking the lead before being pegged back. Then Wood thought he had won the game with the last touch of the match, only for VAR to rule him offside.
As Cornet slowly walked back to the Burnley bench accompanied by the physios, Leicester’s fans did not hide their delight, singing “cheerio” followed by “cheat”, frustrated by the winger coming back onto the pitch before going down.
It was a sad, abrupt end to his day. Cornet looked devastated.
His name being in the starting XI was a surprise. Since his arrival, Dyche has preached caution: his new signing would need time to adjust to a new league, a new country and a new language.
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It is a testament to how well and quickly he has settled that Dyche was prepared to pick him. The 24-year-old is a fun and engaging character who has brought new life to the dressing room and made a real effort to feel a part of the squad. After the Arsenal defeat, he sent a text message to the team’s WhatsApp group encouraging his team-mates to keep going. He has been having breakfast with team-mates as he continues to improve his English.
On the pitch, his impression has been even better. He burst into life at Leicester with a vicious cross that had Vestergaard worried. From the same move, a one-two with Ashley Westwood released him into the box. His cross was blocked but the corner led to Jamie Vardy scoring an own goal.
Cornet was on the opposite side to Dyche but his manager was still keen to communicate with him. The fact it did not happen that often suggests Cornet was doing a lot of what had been asked. There was plenty of encouragement, verbally and via thumbs up.
When Burnley were in possession, Cornet played high, almost on the last line of the Leicester defence. Dyche is a fan of the way he naturally stretches the pitch and his pace is a weapon.
It nearly worked to perfection after he had scored. Westwood’s pass released him but Cornet mishit his first-time shot wide.
Cornet was calm in possession, demonstrating his excellent first touch when controlling high balls and long-range passes. Largely, he took the simple option, although it is clear he is capable of more, including one dribble where he drove past Youri Tielemans and into the box.
Out of possession, Cornet was tasked with tracking the attack-minded Pereira, and at times he dropped so deep Burnley looked like they were in a back five.
Dyche has been impressed by how quickly Cornet sees and reads the game. He was alert and made several interceptions to stop Leicester attacks.
After a poor free kick, possession turned over and Ademola Lookman ran forward with only one Burnley defender in front of him.
Cornet spotted the danger and demonstrated his recovery pace. When Lookman tried to find Tielemans with a pass, it was the £13 million signing who was first to the ball.
The wide midfielder looked comfortable playing in Burnley’s shape and was prepared to join in with the high press.
There were a couple of miscommunications, too, with Vardy close to putting Leicester in the lead after Cornet and Charlie Taylor followed the overlapping runner, allowing Pereira time to look up and cross. They will be ironed out.
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Importantly, there was much more good than bad. Dyche was pleased with Cornet’s performance and he will be hoping that the injury is not too serious.
The blow feels even more significant because of who Burnley’s next opponents are. Norwich City at home has no doubt been a fixture circled as one in which Dyche’s side must take maximum points. Such has been Cornet’s impact that he will be desperately needed.
Cornet watched the second half from the bench — that watching brief needs to be a short one.
(Top photo: Lindsey Parnaby/AFP via Getty Images)
