Burnley Take Down Southampton, 2-0, to Inch Closer to Safety in the Premier League Standings

 

The Clarets — led by the likes of Connor Roberts and Nathan Collins on Thursday — got a much-needed 2-0 win over Southampton at Turf Moor.

Roberts scored his first Premier League goal in the 12th minute; Collins headed in his second-career top-flight goal right before the break. The dominant first half from Burnley was the catalyst in this result.

“The players remembered what they were,” Burnley manager Mike Jackson said. “We haven’t done loads different, but they have come together as a group. Everyone has mucked in, and it is a great result. It was good to watch. Towards the end they have had a couple of chances. You have to enjoy the game when you win, don’t think about anything else.”

According to stats provided by Sky Sports and Opta Stats, Burnley have now won their last two home Premier League games. That equals how many they had won in the previous 24 matches at Turf Moor (11 losses, 11 draws).

“The crowd were terrific,” Jackson added. “You could see it lift the players. We said, ‘bring them with you’ and I think we did that. We have to make sure we deliver against Wolves.”

This result was somewhat unexpected as Southampton have now lost consecutive Premier League fixtures against teams in the relegation zone for the first time since 2003.

“We had a very good chance at the beginning and the first goal is important,” Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl said. “They then had the belief, and we haven’t been physically good enough. The first half simply not aggressive enough, not sharp enough. They defended well and we didn’t have the quality to break them down.”

Southampton won the possession battle 56.5-43.5, but had half as many shots on target compared to Burnley.

Burnley are now just one point from safety after Thursday’s win.

Roberts — the clear star of the night for Burnley — finished with 69 touches, 16 passes in the final third, four possessions won, four touches in the opposition’s box, 2 chances created, 2 blocked shots, 1 interception, 1 shot, and of course, 1 goal.

“If we work hard and do what we’ve done tonight in the remaining game, who knows what can happen,” Roberts said of Burnley’s remaining schedule.

Burnley’s remaining fixtures are: April 24 against Wolves; April 30 at Watford; May 7 against Aston Villa; May 15 at Tottenham; May 19 at Aston Villa; May 22 against Newcastle United.

Burnley will look to keep building on this momentum when they host Wolves on Sunday. Southampton hit the road for a matchup against Brighton the same day.