THE Clarets played their part in an engrossing sporting Sunday to perfection, claiming a second successive Premier League win to continue their revival.

Burnley’s trip to Cardiff was handed the ‘Super Sunday’ slot by broadcasters, who perhaps expected most viewers to be watching the denouement of the Ryder Cup instead.

If they were then Sean Dyche’s side made sure they missed nothing in a first 45 minutes of football at the Cardiff City Stadium that should be deleted from tapes and immediately forgotten.

But with the Ryder Cup back in European hands for the second half, all eyes were on Cardiff and it was a different Burnley side that emerged after the break.

They demonstrated many of the traits that we have become accustomed too in claiming all three points through goals from Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Sam Vokes - an ability to stay in games to when you’re not at your best, a defensive resilience and the desire to seize your moment when it arrives.

There was certainly an element of the smash and grab to this. Burnley spent more of the afternoon defending than attacking and the statistics would suggest they’ve stolen the points.

But the defence stood firm, despite the loss of James Tarkowski to a shoulder injury midway through the first half, and it was the Clarets who played the brighter, more inventive football - eventually.

That was after a first half in which their attacking threat was almost non-existent, bar Matej Vydra sending a shot from 18 yards so far over that it would have been more at home during the Six Nations in the Principality Stadium just down the road.

At least the Clarets - when Jack Cork and Ashley Westwood could get on the ball - were trying to play some football. There was little nuance to Cardiff’s approach.

But they were given encouragement by Burnley to keep going route one, handed a succession of corners and throw-ins, which Sean Morrison was more than happy to launch into the box.

Josh Murphy was the Bluebirds one fleet-footed attacker, and he ghosted away from Gudmundsson and Matt Lowton far too easily to weave his way into the box and poke a shot from a tight angle against the outside of the post.

The route one approach then saw Callum Paterson win a flick-on for Victor Camarasa, who squared for Kenneth Zohore to steer the ball goalwards, but Joe Hart was down to his left to produce a smart save at his near post.

Hart had been commanding in coming for corners and throws, but when Morrison directed a Camarasa corner towards goal the England international saw Sam Vokes flick it over him. Paterson tried to steer it goalwards but Vydra was well placed this time to head off the line.

The second half could only bring improvement for the Clarets and it wasn’t long in coming. Vokes had already fired a warning in breaking beyond Morrison before tripping himself when through on Neil Etheridge before Burnley took the lead.

There didn’t look to be a great deal of danger when Westwood clipped in a high, looping cross, but somehow Gudmundsson leapt above Greg Cunningham and from no more than a couple of yards out managed to direct his header down and past Etheridge, via a clip off the goalkeeper’s left foot.

The lead would last less than 10 minutes though, and having defended well from Cardiff’s aerial threat the Clarets would have been bitterly disappointed to concede from open play. Makeshift right-back Bruno Ecuele Manga provided the overlap and from his pull-back Murphy was in acres of space from 16 yards to apply a superb, first-time finish.

Cardiff were buoyed by that equaliser but were hit by a sucker punch from the Clarets.

Westwood was the architect, sending a first-time pass to Gudmundsson on the left edge of the area. The Iceland winger hooked a volley across goal and Welshman Vokes stooped from 10 yards to angle a fine header into the corner.

The Bluebirds threw everything at the Clarets in the final 15 minutes, but Burnley stood firm to march onwards up the table.