SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) – Southampton fought back from two goals down to beat Burnley 3-2 in the Premier League on Sunday and increase their comfort above the relegation zone with just their second win in 13 league games.
Burnley took a 12th minute lead through a Chris Wood penalty, after VAR spotted that Kyle Walker-Peters had brought down Erik Pieters.
The Clarets then doubled their advantage with a fine strike from Czech forward Matej Vydra, after Wood had headed on a Ben Mee long ball forward.
But the Saints got back into the game with a well-struck effort from Stuart Armstrong, the Scotland midfielder driving home after a clever flick from Danny Ings.
Former Burnley striker Ings then levelled up the contest with a fine solo goal, outdoing Mee, cutting past the sliding James Tarkowski and slipping the ball through the legs of Nick Pope.
Burnley struggled to recover from seeing their lead vanish in 11 minutes and a winner for the home side looked inevitable after James Ward-Prowse hammered a drive against the underside of the bar and Burnley keeper Nick Pope produced a magnificent reflex save to keep out a deflected Armstrong drive.
The winner came in the 66th minute when an Ings drive was saved by Pope but Theo Walcott latched on to the loose ball and picked out Nathan Redmond at the back post who volleyed home.
Southampton keeper Fraser Forster twice denied Wood in the latter stages – doing well to get a hand to a curling shot and then keeping out a close range header.
Burnley felt they should have had a penalty in the latter incident where Wood’s shirt was pulled but Southampton deserved the points and should have had a fourth when substitute Che Adams had only Pope to beat but shot wide.
Southampton move up to 13th on 36 points, ten above 18th-placed Fulham. Burnley are on 33 points in 15th.
“It was a difficult start for us, and normally an opponent that is not helpful if you go two down,” said Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuettl.
“Our decision-making in the final third was fantastic. We could have scored five or six or more goals against a team that doesn’t normally give you many chances,” he added.
Burnley defender Tarkowski was critical of his team’s concentration levels.
“It’s very unlike us, that. Our record of going ahead and getting a win or at least a draw is one of the best in the league, so to go 2-0 up, be very comfortable, it was mental sloppiness from everyone really,” he said.
(Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
