BURNLEY moved into the top half of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Southampton.

Returning hero Joey Barton hit the winning goal five minutes after coming off the bench for his second coming at Turf Moor.

It’s an eighth Premier League home win of the season for the Clarets, who are now 10 points clear of the bottom three and only four behind Everton in seventh.

There was no surprise in selection from Sean Dyche, with Scott Arfield and Johann Berg Gudmundsson out injured, but instead of Jeff Hendrick lining up out wide, as most had expected, it was Steven Defour who begun on the left of midfield, with George Boyd on the right, and Hendrick alongside Dean Marney in the centre of midfield.

In a first half of few chances Ben Mee was closest for Burnley on two occasions, heading Defour’s corner just wide, before lashing a 20-yard half-volley wide after Stephen Ward had sent a swirling ball into the area.

At the other end Dusan Tadic had the best chance of the half, but his left-footed shot across goal, after being found by Nathan Redmond’s square ball, was narrowly wide.

Tadic was close again five minutes before the break, volleying Cedric’s deep cross goalwards but Mee was there to clear the danger inside the six-yard box.

The visitors were finishing the half strongly and Tom Heaton produced a fine save to keep James Ward-Prowse’s close-range header out, clawing it away after Shane Long had crossed from the right.

Defour tested Fraser Forster early in the second half but the Saints goalkeeper made a comfortable stop from the Belgian’s 30-yard free-kick.

Forster was called into action by Defour again 20 minutes into the second half, diving low to his left to save a low shot from the edge of the area.

Jay Rodriguez was introduced by Southampton with just over 20 minutes to go, but it was Long who came close shortly after, heading Cedric’s cross into the side-netting.

Joey Barton was next to enter the fray, and as so often the 34-year-old was soon the centre of attention, Boyd won a free-kick 25-yards from goal, and Barton stepped up to curl a low effort into the corner, via a slight deflection.

The Saints came close to a leveller in the last minute but were denied by a stunning Heaton double save. He dived low to his left to keep out Rodriguez’s effort and was then up quickly to somehow stop Josh Sims’ follow-up effort on the line.