WE take a look at the key talking points from Burnley’s trip to Watford.

WOOD DENIED

VAR was much maligned when the Clarets beat Barnsley in the FA Cup earlier this month.

Matej Vydra’s penalty that wasn’t a penalty, halted during the striker’s run-up, was not the system’s finest moment.

But had it been at use at Vicarage Road on Saturday the Clarets would have been celebrating a fifth straight Premier League win after Chris Wood was incorrectly judged offside when tapping home in stoppage time.

Ben Foster spilled Dwight McNeil’s low effort and Wood reacted quickest to tuck in the rebound. The linesman’s flag was raised immediately but replays showed the Burnley striker was onside.

There would have been no time for a Watford comeback and although the call was tight, it was wrong.

If VAR was in play the linesman would have been more inclined to allow play to go on, knowing there was a replay safety net, and Burnley would be two points better off.

With a Premier League survival battle on their hands, the Clarets could do without poor calls from the officials.

CLEAN SHEET

BURNLEY under Sean Dyche have always been built from the back.

The surge to seventh last season was achieved in large parts thanks to a splendid defensive record.

The Clarets had been anything but watertight in the first half of this season, shipping five goals on two occasions, four three times and three four times in all competitions.

But the Watford trip yielded a third away clean sheet of the season and, with just two goals conceded in their last five unbeaten games, perhaps Burnley have restored that defensive durability.

They will need it with two trips to Manchester – to face City and United – on the horizon.

TOM HEATON

HIS return to the Premier League XI has yielded 10 points from 12, four games unbeaten and two clean sheets.

Joe Hart must be pleased and peeved in equal measure. He kept Burnley in plenty of games earlier this season with his shot stopping but results weren’t forthcoming and dropping the 31-year-old was almost a last roll of the dice from Dyche.

The gamble worked. Burnley have turned things around in recent weeks and although Hart will be happy to see a healthier points tally, he must feel frustrated that he’s not a part of it.

Hart and Heaton are close friends and rivals and together with Nick Pope form arguably the strongest goalkeeping department in the country.

But only one can play and with Pope still being eased back into action following a shoulder injury, Heaton has the upper hand.

He was excellent at Vicarage Road, making two impressive first half saves and commanding his box well.

Dyche spoke afterwards of an evident connection between goalkeeper and defence and the ‘Heaton’ chant was belted out by the vocal away following on more than one occasion.