Burnley made it 11 clean sheets in a row in the Sky Bet Championship but were left frustrated as they drew 0-0 away at local rivals Preston.
The promotion-chasing visitors missed a series of good chances with Lyle Foster culpable for wasting two of the clearer openings.
The Clarets have now had 11 scoreless draws in the league this season while Preston continue their remarkable run of having lost just once at Deepdale in the Championship since Paul Heckingbottom’s arrival in August.
Burnley had the first glimpse of goal after seven minutes but Jaidon Anthony dragged his shot wide upon entering the box after doing well to dispossess Jayden Meghoma.
But Preston quickly rallied and caught their opponents cold just three minutes later as Mads Frokjaer-Jensen slipped Milutin Osmajic in behind and the Montenegrin would have scored had CJ Egan-Riley not recovered well to bravely block.
Just before the half-hour mark it was Egan-Riley’s partner, Maxime Esteve, who was on last-ditch blocking duties, this time to deny Kaine Kesler-Hayden at the far post as the on-loan Aston Villa man tried to provide the finishing touch to a wonderful bit of team play.
The Clarets were struggling to get going but had two half-chances with Zian Flemming lashing over from a tight angle after running onto James Trafford’s long punt before Connor Roberts’ cross-shot was awkwardly parried by Freddie Woodman.
Foster, however, should have fired Burnley ahead in the final seconds of the half, after being teed up on a plate by Flemming, but the 24-year-old sent his effort from the centre of the box into orbit with the goal gaping.
Nonetheless, the South African attacker did not go into hiding and he clipped the outside of the post early in the second half after some excellent footwork to create space for himself just outside the six-yard box.
Brad Potts nearly curled Andrew Hughes’ pass into the far corner from a difficult angle after 64 minutes as the Lilywhites looked to reassert some threat on the match.
Scott Parker’s 71st-minute introduction of Sporting Lisbon loanee Marcus Edwards saw Anthony moved over to the left and the on-loan Bournemouth man nearly made an instant impact on the opposite flank, shifting inside of Ryan Porteous before bending a shot just over the top.
It was Anthony again in the thick of the action shortly after, whipping in a delightful free-kick that Flemming misjudged from point-blank range when any touch of conviction would have surely opened the scoring.
Edwards sprung to life in the latter stages of the half and thought he had won a penalty after going down under a Lewis Gibson lunge but referee Andrew Kitchen waved away the vocal appeals.
