JASON Koumas ended his 13-game goal drought as awesome Albion stormed back to winning ways with a first-half goal fest.
The wing wizard followed up his brilliant midweek brace for Wales by finally opening his Baggies account for the season after just five minutes.
And Nathan Ellington's fifth of the campaign just two minutes later got The Hawthorns well and truly bouncing.
Darren Carter's first goal on home soil this term a minute before the break ensured the hosts' four-game winless run was a thing of the past - and extended Burnley's 37-year wait for a win at the Black Country venue.
Clarets boss Steve Cotterill's misery was complete when he saw Frank Sinclair red-carded for a second bookable offence 12 minutes from time.
Albion were well worth their comfortable win. Their overall performance was not necessarily an improvement on the past four fixtures - but their finishing most certainly was.
And a first clean sheet in six games - on Russell Hoult's 200th start for the club - capped a great afternoon as the Baggies moved within two points of Burnley.
Leaders Cardiff's defeat by QPR on Friday night, and Blues' failure to beat Wolves in today's noon kick-off, gave both sides a chance to close the gap on the division's pace-setters as sixth hosted fourth.
There were plenty of pre-match cheers as the home hordes raised the roof for Paul Robinson, back from a three-game ban, and returning ex-Baggies Brian Jensen and James O'Connor.
But they soon had a bigger reason to cheer as Tony Mowbray's men stormed out of the blocks.
Attacking the Brummie Road End, the Baggies immediately pressed Burnley deep inside their own half, winning two successive corners during the opening seconds.
And Albion well and truly took the game by the scruff of the neck by netting twice in as many minutes.
In the fifth minute, top scorer Diomansy Kamara raced down the right and found Ellington who threaded Koumas through with a gorgeous slide-rule pass.
The Welsh wizard controlled the ball before planting a right-footed curler just inside the far post. Jensen did well to get a hand to it but the 'Beast' was beaten by the pace of the shot.
Just two minutes later, a sublime cross-field move involving fit-again Nigel Quashie, Martin Albrechtsen and Kamara resulted in Ellington controlling the ball inside the Burnley 'D'.
And the former Wigan man gave Jensen no chance with a raking drive which nestled inside the bottom right-hand corner.
Shell-shocked Burnley regrouped and Hoult had to pull off a wonderful save to keep out O'Connor's 20-yard free-kick which was heading for the top left-hand corner of the Baggies keeper's net.
But the hosts looked dangerous every time they broke and Kamara will feel he should have done better when he controlled Koumas' pinpoint pass and dragged his shot wide of Jensen's near post from 20 yards.
Kevin Phillips also had his head in his hands moments later when he dragged a cross-cum-shot across the face of goal.
But Burnley kept plugging away and Michael Duff had a great chance to pull a goal back when Sinclair whipped in a pinpoint cross from Wade Eilliott's short corner.
The Clarets centre-half, however, headed agonisingly over the bar.
Curtis Davies then did brilliantly to block Steve Jones' close-range effort after the ball had pinged around the Baggies box.
Albion were soon back on the attack. Another great move saw Koumas send Ellington racing clear and 'The Duke's' low cross was cleverly dummied by Kamara to set up a chance for Phillips.
The former Villa man looked certain to score as he pulled the trigger, only to see Duff divert the ball wide with a terrific last-ditch block.
After Burnley only partially cleared Carter's ensuing flag-kick, Albrechtsen did well to find Quashie inside the box and the Scotland star's low shot was blocked by Jensen at his near post.
The ball rebounded to Phillips who found Davies at the back post with a right-footed cross - but the Baggies skipper headed over.
The Albion chances kept coming when the influential Phillips sent Koumas clear in the 42nd minute.
The Wales international steadied himself to shot - only to plant a weak shot straight at Jensen.
Burnley stormed straight upfield and almost snatched a goal back when the jet-heeled Jones cut in from the left and fired a ferocious effort just over.
But Albion were in dreamland a minute before the break when they sailed into a three-goal lead.
Phillips sent Ellington clear down the right and after the ex-Bristol Rovers marksman's fierce drive was brilliantly parried by Jensen, the predatory Carter had the simple task of hooking the ball over the line.
Albion started the second half comfortably and Jensen had his hands well and truly stung when Koumas intercepted a loose pass and fired an awkward bouncing ball straight at the giant Dane from 20 yards.
Burnley did not lie down, though, and Davies did well to get in the way of a Jones volley to divert it out for a corner after Albion had struggled to clear their lines.
But Mowbray's troops were soon back on the attack when Koumas sparked a Baggies breakaway by feeding Kamara down the right.
The Senegal pace ace surged into the Burnley half before squaring to Ellington, but the Baggies No.9 could only fire straight at Jensen from 20 yards.
The visitors faced an even bigger task in the 78th minute when former Albion loan signing Sinclair was dismissed for a second bookable offence after scything down Koumas. His first booking in the 11th minute had been for a similar offence on the same player.
Burnley carved out one final chance but the impressive Hoult kept out Andy Gray's downward header from Jones' left-wing cross with a terrific reaction block.
ALBION (4-4-2): Hoult; Albrechtsen, C Davies, Perry, Robinson; Kamara, Quashie, Carter, Koumas; Phillips, Ellington (Chaplow 74). Subs not used: Steele (gk), McShane, Watson, Wallwork.
BURNLEY (4-4-2): Jensen; Sinclair, Duff, Thomas, Harley (Hyde 58); Elliott (Mahon HT), McCann, J O'Connor, Jones, Noel-Williams (Lafferty 63), Gray. Subs not used: Coyne (gk), Foster.
GOALS: ALBION - Koumas (5), Ellington (7), Carter (44).
BOOKINGS: ALBION - Quashie (foul 27), Albrechtsen (foul 32). BURNLEY - Sinclair (foul 11), Harley (foul 52), Gray (foul 58), Hyde (foul 80).
SENDING-OFF: Burnley - Sinclair (foul, second bookable offence 78).
REFEREE: R Beeby (Northamptonshire).
ATTENDANCE: 18,707.
ALBION STARMAN: Jason Koumas.
(PICS BY LAURIE RAMPLING)
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