Burnley 1-0 Southampton: Joey Barton back with a bang as sub scores late to down Saints

Joey Barton came off the bench to score the winner in his first Premier League appearance for Burnley, sealing a 1-0 victory over Southampton.

The veteran midfielder, who signed a short term deal until the end of the season earlier this month, struck with a long-range free-kick on 78 minutes that seemed to find its way in via Jeff Hendrick's backside.

Saints had dominated possession throughout the game but could not find away past Sean Dyche's defence, which earned its fifth clean sheet of a promising campaign.

Dusan Tadic had a number of blocked shots in the first half for the visitors, while Virgil van Dijk went close at the death, but the Clarets move above the Saints in the table into 10th place.

Barton was instrumental in Burnley's promotion campaign last season but opted to move to Rangers in the summer for what turned out to be an ill-fated move for the 34-year-old.

Manager Dyche felt he had earned a second chance at Turf Moor after what he did for them last year and, after impressing in the FA Cup draw at Sunderland last week he may have been tempted to start him in this game.

And that feeling might have been compounded during a first half that Burnley struggled to dictate, with sloppy and hopeful passes up-field allowing Southampton to launch wave after wave of attacks that proved fruitless.

Tadic almost got on the end of a few decent early crosses, while Ben Mee threatened at the other end from a Burnley corner, heading one wide of the far post before missing past the near with a shot from distance.

Enjoying space on the left-hand side, Tadic sent a low effort wide of the far post while in acres of space before forcing Mee to clear another effort off the line as the game approached half-time.

Steven Defour, one of two Burnley changes from the defeat to Manchester City, and Hendrick sent speculative efforts at Forster, while Nathan Redmond should have done better when he was found unmarked on the penalty spot but side-footed wide.

Shane Long also sent a header into the side-netting at the far post before Barton replaced Dean Marney and immediately set to work trying to inspire his team to make the breakthrough.

And Barton made no mistake when Ashley Barnes was fouled on the edge of the box, eyeing up the goal as he stood over the ball before firing low through a host of bodies and finding the slightest of knicks off Hendrick to bag his first goal at Turf Moor.

Player ratings

Burnley: Heaton (8); Lowton (7), Keane (7), Mee (8), Ward; Hendrick (7), Defour (6), Marney (6), Boyd (6); Barnes (6), Gray (7)

Subs used: Barton (7), Vokes (5), Tarkowski (5)

Southampton: Forster (7); Soares (7), Van Dijk (7), Yoshida (6), Bertrand (7); Romeu (7), Hojberg (6); Tadic (7), Ward- Prowse (6), Redmond (7), Long (7)

Subs used: Rodriguez (6), Simms (6)

Man of the match: Ben Mee