BURNLEY suffered a fifth away defeat in six as they went down 2-0 to Stoke City in an at times bad tempered affair in the Potteries.

Sean Dyche had hinted at a shake-up away from home and he duly delivered with a return to 4-4-2 and four changes from the defeat to Manchester City.

While Johann Berg Gudmundsson’s absence was enforced, there was surprise to see Matt Lowton, Steven Defour and Sam Vokes all drop out, with Jon Flanagan, Ashley Barnes and Andre Gray coming in.

And Burnley started very brightly as they sought to make a point away from home.

Scott Arfield had a free-kick deflected wide in the opening minute, before Ashley Barnes just failed to stay onside to collect Andre Gray’s through ball, before the latter slashed a shot over from the edge of the area.

The game was wide open in the early stages and Stoke had their first sighting of goal when Bruno Martins Indi headed against the base of the post from six yards out from Charlie Adam’s in-swinging corner.

That was a sign of things to come as Stoke gradually took control and they took the lead as well on 20 minutes. Mame Diouf and Xherdan Shaqiri worked a one-two down the right before the latter’s cross found an unmarked Jonathan Walters and he produced a smart finish, lifting the ball over Paul Robinson and into the corner of the net.

It was two not long after the hour and although the goal began in controversial circumstances, it ended with another defensive disaster.

Stephen Ward put the ball out on the halfway line for Walters to receive treatment, despite Mark Clattenburg waving play-on. Dyche was not impressed with that decision and he was even less impressed when Charlie Adam returned the ball for a defensive throw-in in the corner for Burnley.

Around a minute had passed since then when Marko Arnautovic ghosted past Flanagan as if he wasn’t there and crossed for Marc Muniesa, who had begun the move in his central defensive position, to volley home from 12 yards with not a Burnley defender close to him.

The Clarets finished the half as they had started it - on the front foot. Former Turf goalkeeper Lee Grant threw out a hand to palm Jeff Hendrick’s flick away before Gray’s shot was deflected behind. From the cleared corner Hendrick broke through on the right edge and crossed low, with Stephen Ward teeing up Marney, but his mis-hit shot flew over the bar.

The second half began in a similar fashion, with more Clarets pressure and Barnes forcing Grant to tip over his instant shot from the edge of the area.

Stoke should have down to 10 in the opening stages of the half as Gray broke clear from Muniesa, only for the ex-Barcelona man to haul him back. Gray tried to stay on his feet and get a shot away, but Muniesa wouldn’t let go and eventually Clattenburg had no option but to give the free-kick, but somehow he adjudged it only a yellow card. Arfield’s 25-yard free-kick was then deflected over and from the corner Ben Mee’s 18-yard half-volley was straight into Grant’s midriff.

Stoke’s forays forward were far more infrequent in the second half but substitute Joe Allen fired a shot straight at Robinson from Arnautovic’s cut-back after he had got the wrong side of Flanagan from Giannelli Imbula’s ball.

Allen tested Robinson again in the final 10 minutes with the 37-year-old diving to his left to palm the ball away, while at the other end Gray came close to putting Burnley back in the game but his angled half-volley was acrobatically tipped wide by Grant.

Burnley: Paul Robinson, Jon Flanagan (James Tarkowski 81), Michael Keane, Ben Mee, Stephen Ward, George Boyd (Sam Vokes 77), Dean Marney, Jeff Hendrick, Scott Arfield (Michael Kightly 90), Andre Gray, Ashley Barnes  

Subs not used: Nick Pope, Matt Lowton, Steven Defour, Patrick Bamford

Stoke City: Lee Grant, Glen Johnson, Bruno Martins Indi, Marc Muniesa, Mame Diouf, Charlie Adam, Giannelli Imbula, Erik Pieters, Xherdan Shaqiri (Joe Allen 60), Jonathan Walters (Glenn Whelan 86), Marko Arnautovic (Peter Crouch 71)

Subs not used: Shay Given, Wilfried Bony, Bojan, Ramadan