BURNLEY might have missed the chance to make it three top flight wins in a row for the first time in 40 years, but the late penalty that rescued a deserved point at Turf Moor could be significant in the final reckoning.

We won’t know until May whether Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Aston Villa should be looked at as one point gained or two points dropped.

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On one hand the Clarets had more than enough good chances to have won most games, with Lukas Jutkiewicz, Michael Kightly, George Boyd and Danny Ings all passing up excellent opportunities.

But with five minutes remaining Burnley looked to have run out of ideas when Jutkiewicz won the penalty, which Ings coolly dispatched to salvage a draw, and extend the Clarets’ unbeaten run.

Burnley were looking to win three top flight games in a row for the first time since January 1975.

While that proved beyond them, they did maintain their remarkable Turf Moor hold over Aston Villa in league fixtures between the two sides. It is now 24 league games since Villa triumphed at Turf Moor, on September 12, 1936.

The point keeps Burnley 19th in the Premier League table, and although they failed to make it three wins in a row, the fact the point was secured so late in the game maintains the momentum built up by Sean Dyche’s side over the past few weeks.

Dyche was forced into one change from the side that had won 2-1 at Stoke last week, with Michael Duff failing to recover from a calf injury sustained at the Britannia Stadium.

That put an end to the partnership between Duff and Jason Shackell, with the pair starting the last 40 league games together at the heart of defence since December 3 last year.

For 21-year-old Keane it was a first start in his three months at the club since signing on loan from Manchester United.

Keane was five years old when Joe Cole made his debut for West Ham and was touted as the great hope of English football.

His career never panned out the way he probably envisaged as a youngster, but the 33-year-old rolled back the years at Turf Moor.

Never the quickest, he might struggle to beat most Premier League players in a foot race these days, but he utilised the space between defence and midfield in Burnley’s 4-4-2 to run the match in the first half.

On five minutes his lay-off to Gabby Agbonlahor resulted in a shot deflected for a corner. The set-piece was forced goalwards by Jores Okore, deflected off Keane and was headed off the line by Dean Marney.

The Clarets midfielder was in the thick of the action again five minutes later, this time Ciaran Clark’s header from a Villa corner hit him and deflected behind.

Burnley were restricted to a shot across goal from Kightly after he flicked the ball over Cole’s head, but on 18 minutes they should have fallen behind.

Tom Cleverley played the ball to Cole on the edge of the area and his pass was perfectly weighted to send Agbonlahor through on goal, but he took his shot early and it was easy for Heaton.

Seven minutes before the break Villa were rewarded for their pressure.

Andreas Weimann worked his way inside from the right and he slid a neat ball into Cole who managed to poke the ball beyond Heaton.

Burnley had been restricted mostly to efforts from distance in the opening 45 minutes, with Boyd and Ings forcing saves from Guzan.

But 73 seconds into the second half they could easily have levelled. Ings found space on the right and his low cross fell to Boyd on the penalty spot, but he scuffed his shot on his weaker right foot and it was easily cleared.

Ten minutes later another excellent chance to level came and went. Ings was again involved, his headed lay-off falling to Kightly, who managed to bundle his way into a one-on-one situation Brad but he couldn’t apply the finish from eight-yards out, with Guzan saving with his legs.

Half chances also fell to Ings, who glanced a Kieran Trippier cross wide of the far post, while Jutkiewicz - on as a substitute for Ashley Barnes - failed to force the ball home from a Trippier free-kick.

As the clock ticked down it appeared Dyche’s side had exhausted their well of ideas, and the final 20 minutes had been passing comfortably for Villa. But with five minutes remaining referee Graham Scott, taking charge of a Premier League game for the first time, pointed to the spot when Jutkiewicz was hauled down by Okore after using his body to turn his marker.

It was the second time this season Jutkiewicz had won a penalty through clever use of his body, and while Scott Arfield might have fluffed his lines at Crystal Palace, Ings was to make no mistake.

He’s a striker at the top of his game right now and his penalty was drilled into the roof of the net to level the scores.

Just as the fourth official signalled five minutes added time Ings missed a golden opportunity to earn his side all three points.

He controlled Ross Wallace’s low ball brilliantly to take two Villa defenders out of the game, but his finish rebounded off the post from seven yards.

The attack was kept alive and as the ball came back in Jutkiewicz headed inches wide, and with that a third straight Premier League win eluded the Clarets.