The Clarets hit their highest-ever Premier League points total with a professional and somewhat typical Sean Dyche display against an off-key Stoke City side, winning 1-0 on Tuesday night at Turf Moor.

Burnley have surpassed their previous record of 33 points set in the 2014-15 season, thanks to a second-half George Boyd goal.

The win was Burnley’s 10th at home this campaign and emphasises the steps the side has taken under Dyche, with only Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Liverpool having a better home record than The Clarets.

Burnley now have seven games remaining to consolidate their place in the top-flight of English football.

Here are four things Shoot!‘s Burnley blogger Jordan Neary learned from Tuesday night’s triumph at Turf Moor…

Interchangeable midfield

The Burnley midfield set up as a narrow diamond against Stoke City, with Jeff Hendrick slightly advanced of Joey Barton in the centre, Steven Defour operating an acute inside left position, leaving Boyd by far the widest player out on the right.

The quartet often dropped into each other’s positions, which added a degree of flexibility to a normally rigid midfield.

This was seen in Burnley’s goal as Boyd ended up at the point of the diamond, with Hendrick delivering from out on the left. The problem is however, when The Clarets attack, all four players are invariably behind the ball, leaving the onus on the full-backs, Matthew Lowton and Stephen Ward, to attack the wide areas to support the often isolated Andre Gray and Sam Vokes.

In the first-half especially, this often lead to the home side’s attacks dying, as players turned around and played the ball backwards.

This was somewhat remedied when Robbie Brady came on after an hour, he offered The Clarets a natural option out on the left, however, it seems Dyche is still searching for his ideal starting pack across the middle.

Brilliant Boyd

The former Hull City man is player who is not one to hog the limelight and will sometimes sacrifice his own game for that of the team.

He optimises the synergy that vibrates throughout this Burnley side, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

“He’s a real team player, and the fans have come to appreciate that, he gives every inch of himself and he has got quality, it was a sublime finish,” purred Dyche post-match.

The 31-year-old takes a lot of stick from sections of the Burnley fan base, and sometimes with good cause.

One can often get frustrated that Boyd’s ability on the ball, does not match his undoubted industry.

You always believe there is there is more to come from a player capped twice by Scotland, as his final ball lacks cutting edge at times. His finish for the goal showed what the winger can do if he gets into the right areas.

Mee deserved Man of the Match

If you want to test the character and resolve of your centre-halves, throw a determined, physical and resolute Stoke City at them.

Michael Keane has been getting the national plaudits, however, Ben Mee has been absolutely outstanding for The Clarets and the 27-year-old is a future club captain in the making.

The former Manchester City man never shirks a tackle and is usually the man putting his head in where it hurts.

The growth in his tactical awareness since he moved from left-back last season has been a test to how Mee has matured in this Burnley side, under the tutelage of Dyche.

George Boyd got the sponsors man of the match last night, however many would have given it to Mee.

4-5-1 against Middlesbrough?

The team is built on one of the most stable back five’s in the Premier League and Dyche has to take a lot of credit for this, which allows for the flexibility to shuffle his pack further forward.

The three points against Stoke and Burnley’s infamous away record makes this a free roll of the dice for The Clarets.

He has options, and he could solve the conundrum of how to get Defour, Barton and Hendrick into the centre of his midfield, with Brady coming in on the left and Boyd retaining his place on the right, leaving Gray to lead the line, as Vokes looks off the pace at the moment.

The unpredictable Icelandic international Johann Gudmundsson is back in full training, and whilst the game at the Riverside (Saturday) may come too soon for him, he could be a viable option to offer attacking support in this formation.

The 4-4-2 formation is not working away from home and The Clarets cannot rely solely on the points picked up at Turf Moor moving forward, as if they are to survive, they will not get away with such a dismal record on the road next season.

The Clarets have just come out of their rockiest spell of the season, with five out of seven games away from home and the home matches coming against the top two in the division.

But Dyche doesn’t get too high after wins, or too low after defeats, “We made a deal with the players to take it one game at a time, and that’s what we will continue to do.”

A victory in the next game will all but guarantee survival.