Gary O’Neil admitted that his star man Matheus Cunha has been banging his door down in recent days, desperate for a start weeks in advance of his original layoff prognosis.
Despite that, he handed a second consecutive start to Leon Chiwome, who had the chance to become the club’s youngest ever Premier League goalscorer at the ground where his potential predecessor Fabio Silva claimed the accolade last.
He perhaps should have been played through as Nelson Semedo advanced forward, opting instead for Ait-Nouri, whose touch evaded him at the vital moment.
With most of the crowd intently watching the evacuation of a section of the Jimmy McIlroy Stand due to reports of loose metal hanging from the roof, those that remained almost missed a moment of individual brilliance.
It was Dara O'Shea’s raking ball from the right which turned out to be inch perfect for Bruun Larsen to lash home on the volley across a despairing Jose Sa.
The half wasn’t over yet, with referee Thomas Bramhall awarding a soft freekick in midfield after Aït-Nouri looked to have overran the ball. He then got his head on the proceeding freekick from Pablo Sarabia, guiding the ball beyond Arijanet Muric.
Bramhall bizarrely allowed Burnley to kick off, before pulling the game back for a VAR check which turned out in vain and saved him some serious embarrassment.
Cries of “you’re not fit to referee” rang out at Turf Moor, with boss Vincent Kompany commenting openly on the standard of the leagues officiating after a red card against Chelsea.
In not blowing his whistle, he allowed Aït-Nouri through one-on-one with Muric who stuck out a firm hand to keep the scores level.
Having netted in three of Burnley’s four wins so far this season, Bruun Larsen should have wrapped up another crucial three points as he fired Vitinho’s cutback straight at Sa.
With relegation rivals Nottingham Forest winning, in the end it will feel like two points dropped rather than a point gained as a six point gap opens up to safety.
Flashscore Player of the Match: Rayan Aït-Nouri (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
