Burnley 1-0 Southampton

Joey Barton came on in the 73rd minute and scored in the 78th

Substitute Joey Barton scored the second-half winner on his league return for Burnley, who saw off Southampton in a tight contest at Turf Moor.

The 34-year-old had only been on the field for five minutes when he fired in a low 25-yard free-kick which took a deflection before beating keeper Fraser Forster.

Southampton were the bigger threat for most of the match, and the Clarets also had Tom Heaton to thank for their eighth home league win of the season.

The England keeper had to be alert to pat down James Ward-Prowse's first-half header, and then in the closing moments made two outstanding one-handed saves to deny ex-Claret Jay Rodriguez and Josh Sims.

For Saints, who slip to 13th, it was fourth consecutive loss in the Premier League; Burnley climb to 10th after a third win in four.

• Reaction from Saturday's other Premier League games

Burnley rely on rearguard

Burnley could be considered lucky to come away with all three points. They were weak in attack and had three shots on target in the entire match, with only Barton's deflected strike troubling Forster.

Without the disciplined defending and brilliant keeping of Heaton, Southampton might have ended their streak of three matches without a win.

Defender Ben Mee was on hand to clear off the line from Dusan Tadic and Jeff Hendrick placed his body in front of a fierce Shane Long effort that appeared goalbound.

And when the backline was beaten, Heaton was a brick wall as the last man. He reacted quickly to block Ward-Prowse's header before making two superb diving stops to prevent Rodriguez and then Sims, with the follow-up, from equalising. The second save was truly exceptional.

With 24 points from a possible 36 at home, Burnley are 10 points clear of the bottom three and appear a good bet to avoid a relegation battle.

Positive signs for Saints

Southampton fans should not be too disheartened by the result.

Four league defeats in four makes for bad reading, but there was little to fault in the display at Turf Moor.

They were competent in defence and a handful in attack, with Tadic, aside from the effort cleared by Mee, going close with an angled shot before Long's header rippled the side netting after the break.

And had Heaton switched off in the final few moments, visiting manager Claude Puel would have been heading back to Hampshire with a deserved point.

As it is, the Saints continue to head down the table. They will now focus on arresting this losing run at home to champions Leicester next Sunday.

'I want to repay Dyche'

Match-winner Barton - making his first Premier League start since May 2015 - said he wanted to prove to Burnley boss Dyche he made the correct decision in bringing the English midfielder back to Turf Moor.

Barton had been training with the Clarets after leaving Rangers in mid-November. He had his contract terminated by the Scottish Premiership club following a training-ground altercation in September and was given a one-match suspension for breaking Scottish Football Association rules on gambling.

He has also been charged with misconduct, with the English FA claiming the midfielder has placed 1,260 bets in the past 10 years.

"It was an incredible thing for him to bring me back - to what he did and the circus that goes on around me," said Barton.

"Hopefully displays in the coming weeks will repay that faith."

Man of the match - Tom Heaton (Burnley)

The England keeper had little to do but remained alert to make two of the most important saves in the match

'We have a group that give every inch'

Burnley boss Sean Dyche:

"It's a good story with Barton today. He's worked hard since he came back. I know what Joey offers. He's had an interesting life and today was another strange twist in his interesting life.

"Every coach has a doubt but it's about conquering your doubts. He's only one player - we have a group of players here that give every inch.

"Southampton are a good side without a shadow of doubt.

"I thought the defensive unit in general was great. I praised Heaton on his focus and I praised him for keeping in the latter stages of the match."

Southampton boss Claude Puel:

"We wasted many chances and the keeper made strong saves.

"It was a strong game for us. There was a good attitude and it was a good display. It was difficult to play against the long ball today.

"We showed the same spirit as we had showed in recent games. It was incredible to lose this game.

"It's important to continue this good work."

Saints' Turf Moor run continues - the stats

• Burnley have won four consecutive home Premier League games for only the second time, after the won each of their first four home games ever in the competition back in 2009-10.

• Southampton have not won any of their past four league visits to Burnley, last beating them there in the Championship in October 2007.

• Dyche's side have won six of their past seven home league games (L1).

• Southampton have failed to find the back of the net in four of their past five Premier League away games

• Saints' Premier League games this season have produced a league-low 17 first-half goals (eight for, nine against).

• Barton scored his first Premier League goal since April 2015 (for QPR v West Brom).

What's next?

Burnley have an FA Cup third-round replay against Sunderland on Tuesday and are then at Arsenal next Sunday (14:15 GMT). Southampton are at home to Norwich in their FA Cup third-round replay on Wednesday and follow that up with Sunday's midday kick-off against Leicester.