Burnley boss Vincent Kompany hails bravery against Benfica

Owen Dodgson and Hjalmar Ekdal were both on target during the second half against the Portuguese champions.

Kompany was pleased with side’s aggression out of possession and felt they achieved a good balance.

“You play as a team with so much squad depth, so much talent and in the end we had momentum at times,” the Belgian told the club website.

“At times when they were being good on the ball, we were being extremely aggressive. We were extremely brave in many moments but without dropping our standards on the ball as well. It’s that balance you need to have.

“As much as we could, we made it difficult high up the pitch. But when we were struggling a little bit and they also made 10 changes or 11 changes, they had fresh legs for the second-half and really good players.

“But at that moment when the game got tough, physically we did what the game demanded and that was a positive.”

He added: “The funny thing is when you see Dodgson and Ekdal on the scoresheet you think it’s two set-piece goals, but it was from open play and they were well-worked,” he said.

“We are really pleased for them – especially for one of the young players from the Academy to put his name on the scoresheet in such a big game.”

The arrival of England Under-21 goalkeeper James Trafford from Manchester City raised questions over Arijanet Muric’s long-term future, but the Kosovo international made a couple of fine stops against Benfica.

“We have seen him do it before. It’s something he does, he is extremely good at in those moments,” Kompany added.

“You need this. We were able to score some goals as well, but obviously that double save makes a big difference.”

Andros Townsend again featured as a trialist and made a positive impression against the Portuguese champions, having the initial shot that led to Ekdal’s goal after cutting in from the right.