Parker proud in defeat after Burnley's fightback ends in 4-3 loss to Brentford

BURNLEY, England, Feb 28 : Burnley coach Scott Parker hailed his team's fighting spirit as they fought back from three goals down to level the score but faced heartbreak in added time as a second strike from Mikkel Damsgaard sealed Brentford a 4-3 victory on Saturday.

Relegation-threatened Burnley have held Manchester United, Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea since January in a prolonged battle to avoid an immediate drop after earning promotion to the Premier League last season.

But Saturday's loss, their third in the last five league games, left Burnley eight points below the safety zone, as seventh-placed Brentford moved within five points of the top four.

"The fight and the spirit was incredible... I’m proud of this team, and I’m probably more sad than frustrated that the players weren't rewarded for their efforts in the end," Parker said.

Brentford seemed to be cruising to victory after taking an early lead through Damsgaard, before Igor Thiago and Kevin Schade scored to put them 3-0 ahead in just 34 minutes.

But an own goal by Michael Kayode just before halftime opened a window for Burnley, and Hannibal Mejbri set up two second-half strikes by Jaidon Anthony and Zian Flemming to make it 3-3.

Flemming found the net again, only for the goal to be overturned by VAR for an offside. Damsgaard's winner sealed the visitors' first win in three league matches, as Ashley Barnes' late equaliser was also overturned due to handball.

"We changed things tactically and it worked, but were cruelly denied on a couple of occasions and we didn’t get what we deserved from the game," said former England midfielder Parker, who led Burnley to the English top-flight in his first season in charge.

"It takes a certain type of player to come