Burnley endured a forgettable night at the Hawthorns as they slumped to a sobering 4-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion.

The Baggies were rampant throughout and hammered home their superiority in a goal-laden first half, with Matt Phillips, James Morrison and Darren Fletcher all finding the net before the interval.

Venezuelan striker Salomon Rondon added a fourth in the second half to establish an unassailable lead against a lacklustre Burnley side who, complete with defensive deficiencies, ensured the game was conducive to a Baggies onslaught that only the final whistle could cease.

Here is how the Clarets fared in this chastening loss:

Defence

Tom Heaton – 5: An unusually sub-par performance from Burnley’s Mr. Reliable. Heaton could do little to prevent all three goals, and very nearly gifted another one to the hosts with a careless pass. Produced a stunning first-half save from Rondon’s curling effort to maintain a modicum of credibility, but this was still Heaton’s most error-strewn performance in a Burnley shirt.

Matt Lowton – 4: Struggled to cope with Phillips all evening, with the Scottish winger proving to be West Brom’s main source of creativity. Encountered lapses in both concentration and communication with Heaton to inadvertently become an extra architect of Burnley’s downfall. The stock of the former Aston Villa man will have risen with Baggies fans.

Michael Keane – 4: Along with Heaton, picked a poor moment to have his worst game in a Claret shirt. Seemed entirely devoid of his usual composure until the game was beyond his side, by which point he had begun the long road to redemption. Lost focus for West Brom’s second and remained static for their fourth.

Ben Mee – 5: For Mee, read Keane. A shadow of his usual self, the Manchester City academy graduate has dealt with superior strikers to Rondon this season, but the Venezuelan’s physicality and desire proved overwhelming. Showed shades of competence in possession, but signs of solidity were remarkably sparse.

Stephen Ward – 5: When playing well, Ward can offer a calming influence in defence and an extra outlet on the attack. However, Monday’s game was not his finest. Enjoyed a better second half, completing the basics with minimum fuss but when you’re part of a defensive unit that concedes four goals with alarming ease, you must be held accountable.

Midfield

Johann Berg Gudmundsson – 6: The Icelandic midfielder had been in good form of late, but struggled to make the desired impact at the Hawthorns. His one redeeming feature was his endeavour to at least test Ben Foster in the Baggies’ goal; his free-kick in the second half nearly gave the Clarets a consolation, a set-piece hit with venom and verve.

Steven Defour – 5: The Belgian midfielder offered another industrious showing An 85.4% pass completion rate with three ball recoveries and one completed tackle offers encouragement, but Defour was withdrawn at the interval as a sacrifice for striker Ashley Barnes.

Dean Marney – 5: Marney enjoyed a strikingly similar game to Defour in terms of statistics – a 95% pass completion, three ball recoveries, one tackle completed and two clearances for good measure – but the obvious blemish was the early gift for Phillips’ early opener. The 32-year-old has bags of experience, but his failure to properly clear set a fatal precedent for the remainder of the match.

Jeff Hendrick – 5: Maybe, in a parallel universe somewhere, the Republic of Ireland international converts his first-half chance and Burnley don’t capitulate in the manner they did. An otherwise steady game for Hendrick – and the entirety of the Clarets midfield, for that matter – was dampened by a lack of penetration and quality when in possession.

Scott Arfield – 4: A satisfactory performance interspersed with a lack of quality on the ball. A telling moment came in the first half, when a cross-field ball evaded both Hendrick and Lowton, until the latter managed to just keep the ball in play. Completed one out of four take-ons which, on a positive note, shows a willingness to engineer openings for his side.

Attack

Sam Vokes – 4: The Welshman’s first poor game since being handed the responsibility of a lone striker role, Vokes was hindered by a lack of support, and seemed to yearn for the support of a more nimble, pacy striker alongside him. If only there was one on the bench. No shots, of any variety, on a frustrating night for both player and team.

Substitutes

Ashley Barnes – 6: The best player for Burnley when he was introduced at half-time. Allowed the Clarets to come out of their shell by holding the ball up and rampaged around the final third in a bid to win things for his side.

George Boyd – 5: Not enough time to make an impact, although his introduction screamed ‘damage limitation’ more than ‘let’s add a semblance of dignity to the scoreline’.

Andre Gray – 5: Again, too little time but will be at least happy to make it off the bench. May feature more prominently against Manchester City next weekend.