BURNLEY recorded a first Premier League away win of the season and moved to the brink of Premier League safety with a stunning 2-0 win at Crystal Palace.

It’s been a season of toil on the road for the Clarets and their superb travelling fans but it was time to celebrate at Selhurst Park as they finally landed that first away win of the campaign at the 18th attempt.

Burnley won’t write their names into the record books as the seventh team in the Premier League era not to win away all season. Instead they can surely begin preparing for a second successive season in the top flight thanks to goals from Ashley Barnes and Andre Gray.

Social media had been ablaze with concerns over team selection before kick-off, as Sam Vokes and Scott Arfield came in for Andre Gray and Robbie Brady, alongside the enforced changes that saw Ashley Westwood and James Tarkowski replace Joey Barton and Ben Mee, but it was a team that produced the goods.

Palace started quickly with four corners in the first couple of minutes before Tom Heaton’s first action saw him dive full length to his left to push away a Christian Benteke curler.

But it was the Clarets who struck in the first 10 minutes. They had come close a moment earlier with Vokes’ close range volley blocked, and the Wales striker played a part in the goal, finding Westwood who threatened to shoot before switching the ball wide to Stephen Ward.

His low cross was inviting for Barnes and although the striker mis-kicked with his initial effort he was on hand to bury it at the second attempt from inside the six-yard box.

Burnley were causing the hosts plenty of problems and chances were coming to add to the lead. Barnes’ saw an effort ruled out, correctly, for handball, although the decision came very late, and Vokes’ header was just shovelled away on the line by Wayne Hennessey.

Palace were continuing to add to the corner count at the other end and one delivery flew through a few bodies before hitting Vokes and failing invitingly for Luka Milivojevic, but he curled wide from 10 yards.

Heaton comfortably held a 25-yard volley from Milivojevic early in the second half before producing a stunning save to keep the lead in tact.

Andros Townsend’s corner went through to Damien Delaney at the back post and his volley appeared destined for the top corner until the Clarets captain sprung up to produce a magnificent finger-tip save.

Second half chances for Burnley were few and far between but Vokes forced one when he nipped ahead of Martin Kelly and broke clear, only for the centre back to retrieve the situation and get a block in as Vokes looked to get a shot away.

As fingernails were beginning to disappear Burnley made sure of the points and that first victory with five minutes to go. Possession fell to George Boyd just inside his own and his outside of the foot ball feed substitute Gray who burst clear and slammed a near-post shot past by Wayne Hennessey. Job done.