Scott Parker heralded Jaidon Anthony as one of the best players he has ever coached but it was his fellow goalscorer Josh Brownhill who held the key to Burnley’s 2-1 win over Watford.
The Clarets faced an anxious final 10 minutes after a consolation from Kwadwo Baah but losing manager Tom Cleverley admitted a draw would have been unjust after an unacceptable display from his play-off hopefuls.
Instead, it was Burnley who maintained their push for automatic promotion after a brilliant opening strike from Anthony, a former player – and promotion winner – under Parker at Bournemouth.
“When I went to Bournemouth, Jaidon had been rejected by Arsenal, was in the under-21s and the minute I saw him, the thing that stood out was his character and what he gives,” said Burnley boss Parker.
“As a coach, he is a seven out of 10 every week, and at times, he’s nines and 10s.
“You have a baseline with him and you have seen that over the course of this season, really.
“Look, if there is one name of all the players I have coached over my career, Jaidon Anthony is right up there.”
Anthony opened the scoring on nine minutes with a superb finish after Hannibal Mejbri had found Brownhill on a darting run into the Watford area.
Brownhill’s cross reached an unmarked Anthony at the far post and his well-hit volley bounced into the ground, gaining pace as it flew past Daniel Bachmann.
And Brownhill had an even bigger contribution to make, on 63 minutes, when he doubled the lead to reflect Burnley’s dominance, with his eighth goal of the season.
“Josh is massively important for us,” said Parker. “He’s our one player with a real goal threat and nous about him.
“He understands the game, when to attack space, when not to, and the second goal was superb – there was high-level technical detail there.”
It was not until the 80th minute that Baah offered Watford late hope when he volleyed in from 10 yards after a group of players rose to meet a right-wing Giorgi Chakvetadze corner and the rebound sat up kindly for the winger.
“That was nowhere near an acceptable performance from us today,” said Watford boss Cleverley. “That scoreline flattered us; that could have been a lot more convincing for them.
“They showed more personality on the ball, better problem-solving but, most worryingly, they ran more and tackled harder which makes it a really disappointing afternoon.
“If we are serious about our ambitions this season, we have to have a better mindset in these away games where you are going to suffer setbacks.
“At home we have suffered setbacks and responded to them, but away from home we have not shown the same mindset or character to come back from those deficits.”
