Share

Saints suffer 4th straight loss

Burnley - Southampton slumped to their fourth consecutive Premier League defeat on Saturday, missing a penalty in a 1-0 loss to struggling Burnley at Turf Moor.

Dusan Tadic saw his second-half penalty saved by Tom Heaton before Ashley Barnes capitalised on uncharacteristically sloppy Saints defending to net the only goal of the game in the 73rd minute.

After a magnificent start to the campaign, Ronald Koeman's Southampton have now lost four games on the bounce for the first time since the opening four matches of their return to the Premier League last season.

Despite the reverse, they remain in fifth place in the table, while Burnley climb out of the relegation zone for now after bouncing back from last weekend's defeat at Queens Park Rangers, their only loss in six games.

Home manager Sean Dyche named an unchanged line-up despite the defeat at QPR, while Koeman welcomed back Toby Alderweireld in defence and, with Morgan Schneiderlin still missing, handed a first Premier League start to 18-year-old midfielder Jake Hesketh.

Hesketh's day soon unravelled, however, as he was booked for a late challenge on Burnley 'keeper Heaton before taking a knock and coming off injured after just 32 minutes.

The youngster was left in floods of tears on the bench after being replaced by James Ward-Prowse, and without him Saints were unable to get back on track after successive losses against Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United.

Making his 100th league appearance for Burnley, Danny Ings was a threat for the Clarets in the first half, curling an early shot just wide and then seeing an effort blocked when a pass to George Boyd may have been the preferable option.

A largely scrappy first period gave way to a more dramatic second half under driving rain in deepest Lancashire, with the visitors being handed the chance to open the scoring on the hour mark when Ryan Bertrand was brought down inside the box.

Southampton had scored their previous 29 penalties in the Premier League, but this time Heaton dived the right way to deny Tadic.

Graziano Pelle then fired wide but the penalty proved to be the decisive moment of the day, and Burnley went on to claim only their third win of the season when England international Nathaniel Clyne lost the ball, allowing Barnes to collect and beat goalkeeper Fraser Forster with a shot that deflected off Alderweireld.

Heaton then denied Jose Fonte and Victor Wanyama missed the target with a stoppage-time header as Southampton were left with just one point from the last 15 available.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
25% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1471 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2250 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE