A stunning second half strike from Manuel Benson sealed the Championship title for Burnley as Vincent Kompany's side came through a thunderous derby at Blackburn.
The Clarets spent much of the night on the back foot, but amid a raucous atmosphere at Ewood Park, Benson provided the defining moment when he cut in from the right and curled a left foot shot into the top corner. The visitors then held on to secure the title with two games to spare, bringing their Belgian boss his first trophy as a manager.
And as well as cementing glory, Burnley also dealt their Lancashire rivals a major blow in their own quest to reach the top flight. Jon Dahl Tomasson's men remain eighth, outside the play-offs on goal difference having missed the chance to go fifth.
In a high tempo start, Burnley fashioned the first big chance when Anass Zaroury latched onto a loose pass, only to be denied by Hayden Carter’s last ditch tackle. Ameen Al Dakhil then headed wastefully wide, but the tide soon turned and it was Blackburn battering away at the door.
After wasting numerous set pieces before the break, Sammie Szmodics nearly flicker a header home early in the second half but Clarets keeper Ari Muric kept it out. As tempers frayed, Burnley's Jack Cork was fortunate just to be cautioned for a reckless foul on Tyrhys Dolan, but then on 66 minutes Benson wrote his name in club folklore, just moments after replacing Vitinho da Silva.
And the away side held out amid a chaotic injury time period, which saw two pitch intruders hold up matters while Ashleigh Barnes survived a huge handball shout in his own box. After a series of Blackburn corners, the away fans erupted at the final whistle, as did Kompany as he ran on the pitch and embraced his players.
Burnley still have games away to Bristol City and home to Cardiff to come, and victories in both will seem them surpass the 100-point barrier. But fans will face an anxious summer, with their manager already linked with a move elsewhere, despite his refusal to address speculation.
Asked what it means to win the title, Kompany told Sky Sports: "I'm happy. I'm really happy. I'm so proud of the guys, for those who don't know what it's like in this part of the world, this (playing Blackburn) is a massive game. There couldn't be a better game for us to win the league. It will be talked about for generations."
On the post-match celebrations, he added: "I still have a few sprints in me left. I enjoyed it, the season is already intense and this is game 44 for us as well as the cups. It gets to the point where we're guiding them (the players) but we're also proud of them."
