Burnley drop to bottom of the Championship after painful late collapse

Burnley's miserable start to the season under Nicky Hayen hit a new low, as a two-goal lead in the closing stages was thrown away in a 2-1 defeat to Bristol City. The result leaves the Clarets bottom of the Championship table with just two points from five matches.

Aaron Ramsey had given Burnley the lead just before the hour mark with a first-time strike into the bottom corner, and the hosts looked on course for a first win of any kind since February. But Rob Dickie headed in an 82nd-minute equaliser before substitute Yu Hirakawa struck a stunning winner deep into stoppage time, completing a third straight win for Michael Skubala's Bristol City side.

How Burnley let victory slip away so late

Hayen made six changes from the side beaten at Middlesbrough in midweek, handing full debuts to Anel Ahmedhodzic and Dastan Satpayev while recalling Connor Roberts and Zian Flemming to the starting eleven. The changes initially looked to be paying off, with Ramsey's finish, teed up by fellow substitute Reo Hatate, sending Turf Moor into raptures. But Bristol City's pressure told in the closing stages, with Yu Hirakawa first striking the crossbar before Dickie's header from a corner drew the visitors level, and Hirakawa made no mistake with his second opportunity moments later, curling a stunning effort beyond Max Weiss to complete the turnaround.

Burnley's collapse against Bristol City in numbers

The scale of Burnley's late capitulation becomes clearer when set against how close they came to finally ending their winless start to the season.

• Final score: A 2-1 home defeat, having led through Aaron Ramsey's 56th-minute strike.
• Points total: Just two points from five Championship matches under Nicky Hayen.
• Historic context: Would have been Burnley's first home league win in 322 days had the lead held.
• League position: Dropped to bottom of the Championship table as a result of the defeat.

Why fan anger is now turning toward ownership

Turf Moor's atmosphere had already turned sour before the late goals arrived, with sections of the home support booing the team off at half-time following a below-par first-half display that offered little indication of the drama still to come. By full-time, that frustration had shifted toward the club's American owner Alan Pace, with chants directed at the boardroom rather than simply the players or head coach. Speaking afterwards, Hayen described the defeat as "painful" and questioned his side's mentality in the closing stages, acknowledging that a team leading with 10 minutes remaining should be capable of seeing out the win regardless of the opposition's quality.

What comes next for Nicky Hayen's Burnley

Sitting bottom of the Championship table just months after relegation from the Premier League represents about as difficult a start as Burnley's hierarchy could have feared when Hayen was appointed over the summer. The underlying performance, taking the lead against a Bristol City side that had won their previous two matches, offers some evidence that results should eventually turn, but a fourth defeat in five games, and one that came from a winning position, will only intensify scrutiny on Hayen's start heading into the coming weeks. With parachute payments meant to soften the landing after relegation rather than mask genuine on-pitch dysfunction, patience among supporters is already visibly wearing thin, and further results like today's will make that pressure increasingly difficult to ignore.