Burnley 0, Albion 0

When Chris Hughton is outspoken, you know full well something is seriously wrong.

Albion's manager is as respectful as they come, particularly when he talks about the opposition.

For Hughton to brand the behaviour of Burnley fans towards Gaetan Bong as "shameful" is a measure of his disgust.

We should all be disgusted. A reaction against Bong at the spiritual home of Jay Rodgriguez was not unexpected.

The West Brom striker is Burnley-born and bred, so Bong was an obvious target after the FA charged Rodriguez with making a racist comment towards him at the Hawthorns in January and an independent commission found the allegation "unproven".

Bong was booed as soon as he touched the ball. That was not entirely surprising, but the boos never stopped. They continued throughout the match, from the first minute to the last.

He was hounded for having the temerity to make a complaint which both the FA and independent commission deemed to be completely in good faith.

The verdict was carefully worded with good reason. Rodriguez was not exonerated and cleared, as he and his camp and supporters would like everyone to believe.

There was not enough transparent evidence for the commission to arrive at a decision either way, because Rodriguez covered his mouth at the crucial moment.

What message does the behaviour of Burnley supporters send out if another player finds himself in the same situation as Bong (below right) and also wants to make a complaint in good faith?

The Argus: Players like 23-year-old Frenchman Georges-Kevin Nkoudou, who joined Burnley on loan from Spurs in January and came on in the second half. They will probably think it is not worth the hassle.

Hughton's post-match comments related to the boos. Two separate allegations have now emerged from Albion supporters that Bong was subjected to monkey chants as he went to take a throw-in during the second half.

If this is true then these individuals have defended 'one of their own', accused of racial abuse, by racially abusing the complainant. You could not make it up.

The FA should investigate these claims and, if proven, demonstrate they are serious about tackling the issue by coming down hard on Burnley.

To his credit, Bong made a big contribution to Albion's first clean sheet since another 0-0 draw at Newcastle at the end of 2017.

He nullified the ineffective Aaron Lennon, who was eventually replaced by Nkoudo, and Joey Gudmundsson after they swapped sides.

It has been a remarkable season for Burnley, now virtually assured of seventh place and Europa League qualification.

To get there, Sean Dyche's side must have demonstrated more quality than they showed against Albion.

Their approach was direct and agricultural. Winning free-kicks in opposition territory is all part of the game plan and difficult to avoid when you are up against the robust pairing of Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood or Sam Vokes.

Shane Duffy (below) and Lewis Dunk dealt well with the former Seagulls. The only time Burnley really threatened was from a Gudmundsson free-kick midway through the first half which provoked an almighty scramble.

The Argus: Desperate defending by Bong and Mathew Ryan foiled a combination of Barnes and Jack Cork, then Kevin Long's effort from James Tarkowski's back-heel was blocked via the post by Lewis Dunk. The ball appeared to hit Dunk on the arm, but he knew nothing about it and referee Roger East rightly rejected Burnley appeals for a penalty.

Albion were also impotent in attack, despite several promising situations. On-loan Leo Ulloa, preferred to Glenn Murray, looked rusty on his first Premier League start for over a year and they lacked a cutting edge in the final third.

That has been a familiar theme away from the Amex. West Brom's win at Newcastle leaves them as the lowest scorers on their travels, just nine goals in 17 games.

Nevertheless, it was a good and deserved point which has edged the Seagulls even closer to safety.

Although the gap between them and the relegation zone has narrowed to five points as a result of Southampton beating Bournemouth, they benefit from Saints still having to visit fellow strugglers Swansea in the final midweek of the season.

The Welshmen and Huddersfield, who lost at home to Everton, both look vulnerable now.

Much of the focus has been on Albion's daunting finish, Manchester United at home followed by Manchester City and Liverpool away.

Huddersfield, two points worse off with a far inferior goal difference, go to City when they are being presented with the Premier League trophy, then Chelsea still chasing Spurs and Liverpool.

Arsenal at home on the final day appeared to be the saving grace for the West Yorkshiremen. The Gunners have been woeful away, but that fixture has a different complexion now that it will be Arsene Wenger's last in the Premier League.

It will require an improbable set of results for Albion to not be safe by then.