Burnley 1-0 Southampton: Burnley beat stuttering Saints

Southampton's worrying dip in form continued after succumbing to a 1-0 defeat to in-form Burnley.

With this win, this boisterous Burnley side lifted themselves out of the Premier League relegation zone. Burnley have earned 11 points from their last 18, while Saints have only mustered a single point - from their draw at Aston Villa - out of a possible 15 points.

Ronald Koeman's Southampton side had the perfect opportunity to take the lead after being awarded a penalty for a George Boyd trip on Ryan Bertrand as the Saints left-back made a dangerous run into the Burnley penalty area. Dusan Tadic took the resulting penalty and it was expertly saved by Burnley 'keeper Tom Heaton.

Not long after, the Lancashire club capitalised on some slack Southampton defending and Ashley Barnes netted for the home team. Barne's low, hard shot deflected off a charging Toby Alderweireld. The deflection was key, as it wrong-footed Fraser Forster who was in a position to save.

The game was fairly scrappy throughout, but while Southampton had the lion's share of possession, Burnley looked the team who were up for the fight.

Burnley striker Danny Ings, a Southampton lad, worked tirelessly throughout and his anticipation led to the winning goal. Saints have long been linked with signing the striker and this performance will stoke further rumours.

18-year-old midfielder Jake Hesketh looked lively in his full debut for Saints, before hobbling off injured on 30 minutes. This is a typical feature in most Sotuhampton matches now, with their injury crisis worsening. In more positive news, both Alderweireld and James Ward-Prowse made their return to first team action.

Southampton boast the meanest defence in the league, but there is an increasing amount of defensive errors which is costing them dearly.

Dutch defensive wizard Koeman will have his work cut out to get his team in shape ahead of the hectic Christmas schedule.