Southampton 0-1 Burnley: Three key players
By Jack Deery
Southampton went down 1-0 against a strong and resilient Burnley after Sam Vokes’ 81st minute header.
Saints faced a Burnley side who have been exceeding expectations this season featuring wins against Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton. Mauricio Pellegrino’s men lined up in the usual 4-2-3-1 formation with Mario Lemina the only notable absentee.
Southampton saw a lot of the ball in the first half with Burnley happy to sit behind the ball and soak up the pressure. The all too familiar sight of the boys in red and white struggling to break down a solid unit was apparent once again.
Some good link up play between Bertrand, Redmond and Boufal down the left hand side looked to be Saints’ biggest threat, but nothing came from it. A number of hopeful crosses never fell to Gabbiadini and we couldn’t make the most of being on top.
On 65 minutes Sean Dyche brought on Sam Vokes and Ashley Barnes and the Saints defence couldn’t handle the change in formation. A good header from Southampton-born Vokes was enough to down the Saints to another loss.
But who were Saints’ silver linings in a very dark cloud? Contributor Jack Deery picks his top three.