NEWCASTLE United still don’t like Mondays, and this time around it wasn’t as if they deserved to improve on a horrible statistic.

A pretty poor Premier League game ended up going Burnley’s way courtesy of a winner from Jeff Hendrick with 16 minutes remaining at Turf Moor.

Playing on a Monday has become something of a nightmare – it is Halloween after all – for the Magpies.

Even though there was a sense this determined Burnley side, whose impressive manager Sean Dyche was celebrating reaching a five-year milestone in charge, were there for the taking for more than half the game, Newcastle suffered a defeat yet again.

It is now 12 straight away defeats in all competitions for Newcastle when they have played on a Monday; and ten of those have arrived when playing in the Premier League.

Records like that may be there to be broken but this was not the night when such a bizarre run would come to an end – and Newcastle only really had themselves to blame.

Despite losing just one of their previous seven Premier League games, Rafael Benitez’s side just couldn’t get going and only had a couple of decent chances until the dying seconds.

Now Burnley have leapfrogged them in the table and Benitez’s focus will be to ensure this defeat wasn’t the start of a slump when Bournemouth travel to Tyneside on Saturday.

It did mean that Dyche could celebrate his five years in charge with the fans, having seen memories of his reign played on the big screen beforehand.

The pre-match talk in the away end was centred on how Newcastle would cope without both Mikel Merino (back injury) and Isaac Hayden (bench) in the centre of midfield.

Dyche has transformed the Clarets into an established Premier League side, highlighting why he has been earmarked as a possible successor to Ronald Koeman at Everton.

Regardless of what happens in the future, his shorter-term vision was overcoming one of the world’s best managers in Benitez – and he did so by naming a team short of goals. Not a single player in the home side had scored two goals until Hendrick struck, with Chris Wood injured.

Given Joselu was the only Newcastle man to have achieved that feat for the Magpies, it didn’t smack like a fixture that was going to provide a goal glut and it didn’t take long until it was clear it would turn out that way.

By the time the half-time whistle had blown there had been hardly anything for either goalkeeper to do. The only occasions they were asked questions during that period was to hold an effort from distance.

It looked like it might have been different when Hendrick broke in behind the Newcastle defence within 60 seconds of the start, only to fire wide after he was picked out by an early free-kick and flick on.

Other than that Rob Elliot only had a Brady cross-shot to hold that almost lobbed him, but there wasn’t much more for Nick Pope to do at the opposite end either.

Christian Atsu, lively when he was put on the ball, was the nearest to score when he volleyed a loose ball over after a Matt Ritchie corner was poorly dealt with by the home defence.

The only other time Pope was put under pressure was when Jonjo Shelvey drilled an effort from distance into his hands after some good link-up playing between the midfielder and Atsu down the left.

There was onus on Shelvey to make things happen alongside Mo Diame in the middle without Merino and Hayden, and he tried regularly to get things going. Diame didn’t really do enough to demand he stays in there next time.

Despite the need for improvements, Benitez and Dyche kept things the same initially after the restart. A draw was certainly not an issue for either side, although Newcastle finally forced Pope into a decent save soon after the break.

Javier Manquillo’s throw was flicked into the path of Ayoze Perez by Joselu and then the skilful Spaniard’s curling shot towards the far corner had to be tipped behind by Pope.

Despite improvements in Burnley’s play, posing a few more questions for the home defence, Florian Lejeune and Jamaal Lascelles remained effective and solid to help protect Elliot’s goal.

But for Newcastle to actually make the most of that and find a winner by finding a winner at the other end then they needed wingers Matt Ritchie and Atsu to enjoy greater success, particularly with Shelvey and Diame quiet in the middle.

Burnley had the look of the side who sensed they could win it for long periods of the second half, even though the best they had conjured until the breakthrough was a 25-yard effort from Jack Cork that deflected just over.

But with 16 minutes remaining Perez dawdled in possession deep in his own half and Burnley had the chance they had craved. Despite Elliot saving the initial, well worked opening for Cork, the rebound fell invitingly for Johann Berg Gudmundsson.

He had the time and space cross and pick out the unmarked Hendrick at the back post and the Ireland international took a touch to get the ball down before lifting a finish high into the empty net.

Benitez quickly tried to change things. Perez paid for his error by being withdrawn for Hayden, while Jacob Murphy came on for the quiet Ritchie. Then, after Joselu had rolled an effort wide of the near post, two strikers were on the pitch when Dwight Gayle replaced Diame.

Nothing could be done about the scoreline, though, despite seeing Hayden test the keeper from distance.

Burnley maintained their energy levels to deliver the result, even if Newcastle did push on more in search of an equaliser.