Burnley vs Southampton. Premier League.
Turf MoorAttendance20,982.
Saturday 24 February 2018 20:49, UK
Manolo Gabbiadini's 90th-minute equaliser pulled Southampton out of the relegation zone with a late 1-1 draw at Burnley.
The Italian substitute latched onto Josh Sims' cross and lashed beyond Nick Pope to give the Saints a draw they just about deserved with his first goal in four months.
Ashley Barnes earlier put the hosts in front with a scrappy finish from Jeff Hendrick's flick, having kept Southampton at arm's length for the most part.
But Sims forced Pope into a world-class save as they pressed for a late equaliser before Gabbiadini's goal, which lifts them to 16th in the table and leaves Burnley 11 games without a Premier League win.
Southampton registered only two touches inside the Clarets box before the break, but created the best chance of the opening period when they did.
Nathan Redmond's smart reverse pass found Dusan Tadic, who shot first-time but was denied by a combination of Pope and Ben Mee, who both got something on his curler.
At the other end, Johan Gudmundsson and Barnes both headed wide, but a game between two sides lacking in confidence was predictably cagey.
The Saints re-emerged better after a ticking off from Mauricio Pellegrino but still fashioned little, and Burnley took the lead when Gudmundsson's shot was saved by Pope, and Barnes touched Hendrick's header in on the line.
But the arrival of Sims turned things around for the visitors, and he used his pace to good effect to pull a stunning save from Pope inside the last 10 minutes.
With moments of normal time remaining, Sims pounced after Bobby Madley inadvertently blocked off Ashley Westwood in midfield, before crossing for Gabbiadini to score for the first time since October 15.
Sean Dyche: "We all know what this division's about. If you lay your hands on anyone in the top half everyone goes on the floor.
"Ironically our centre-half gets pulled and goes on the floor and it's no foul. Everyone will have to work that out for themselves.
"There's nothing we could do about the rest of it today. That was a winning performance. We just need a bit of luck, and control the things we can control as we have done all season."
Mauricio Pellegrino: "It was difficult. Burnley are a team who don't concede too many, but we have a good feeling because the game was tight without too many chances for either side.
"We competed in the second half better, but at home Burnley are strong, maybe stronger than us, and we didn't move the ball quick enough.
"The substitutions had a big impact on the team. Hopefully Manolo can regain his confidence. We've got 10 games and I need everybody to be ready to contribute."
Romeu won a lot of the battles in midfield and kept Burnley at bay when they overloaded the flanks. He was very rarely beaten on the floor or in the air and was unlucky to be withdrawn as Southampton chased a draw late on.
Southampton return to St Mary's, where they are currently on course for their lowest ever Premier League home points tally, while Burnley host Everton next Saturday.
