Burnley were left frustrated by a dogged Sunderland performance in a goalless draw that leaves the Championship leaders still needing eight points to be sure of promotion.
That should still be a formality for Vincent Kompany’s side, with eight games remaining and meetings with their closest rivals, Middlesbrough and Sheffield United, over the Easter weekend.
But, as his team extended their unbeaten league run to 18 games, Kompany was left to consider a rare night where his team lacked a cutting edge in attack against the Black Cats.
Indeed, as Burnley edged a step closer to an immediate return to the Premier League under their first-year manager, they failed to score in a game at Turf Moor for the first time since a defeat to Manchester City almost exactly 12 months ago.