Class act Cornet to rescue for Dyche

But still neither team can get win they need

ONLY one team have lost more Premier League games in 2021 than Burnley (17). You guessed it — Southampton are out in front on 18. Between them, these sides have won just once in their past 23 matches. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, the lengths to which both went to throw away a game they each had within their grasp.

The only shock? Neither did quite enough to succeed. Instead, after 90 bonkers minutes, spoils were shared along with a sense of what might have been.

Though his side battled back to lead through Tino Livramento and Armando Broja, Ralph Hasenhuttl rightly rued the countless chances Southampton wasted.

Sean Dyche, meanwhile, was left to lament the way Burnley again crumbled after opening the scoring — and their failure to turn one point into three after Maxwel Cornet’s brilliant equaliser.

Alas, they remain winless this season — in fact this run of 12 league games without victory is their joint-worst ever in the Premier League.

Southampton are two places above them, on the right side of that trap door, but frustrations linger after they shipped as many goals here as in the rest of this season’s home matches.

‘An interesting game for the neutral supporter and a point is OK,’ Hasenhuttl said. ‘You don’t get that many chances against Burnley… two goals at home should be enough to win.’

They weren’t because of Cornet. His opener — the second of three goals in four league appearances — was the first sign of life, or quality, at St Mary’s.

Both the build-up and finish were laced with class, even if Saints offered little by way of resistance as Matthew Lowton was allowed to swing a lovely cross towards the back post, where Cornet nipped in front of Livramento to glance a header in off the post.

Credit Hasenhuttl’s players, though. They awoke from their slumber to lay siege on the Burnley goal.

Broja took a glorious chance off the foot of Mohamed Elyounoussi, who saw a header clip the outside of Nick Pope’s post soon after. Burnley still carried a threat and neat work between Chris Wood, Cornet and Dwight McNeil ended with Wood forcing a smart save from Alex McCarthy.

As half-time approached, however Dyche’s side began to teeter. No side has surrendered more points from winning positions this season than Burnley. So inevitably they toppled.

The only surprise? It took until the 41st minute for an equaliser to arrive. Hasenhuttl appeared ready to combust after Theo Walcott poked wide from 15 yards, Nathan Redmond missed the target from no more than three and Livramento’s curling effort came back off the post. All in the space of two minutes.

Four minutes before the break, Livramento met Redmond’s corner. His header bounced up into the roof of Pope’s net and disbelief belatedly gave way to relief around St Mary’s.

Shortly after the break Burnley gifted Saints a second — James Tarkowski’s woeful pass out from defence was cut out by Ibrahima Diallo, who laid a pass through for Broja to finish. Unfortunately Southampton have forgotten the route to easy street and within seven minutes Burnley were on terms once more.

Ashley Westwood lifted a hopeful ball towards the Southampton penalty area. Out of nowhere, Cornet muscled in front of Jan Bednarek and struck the bouncing ball first time beyond McCarthy. From there, Burnley could — and probably have should — have snatched all three points.

‘We are still searching for that win but there are a lot of good signs,’ Dyche said. ‘We’re aware of the situation, we just want to get back to winning. I don’t think we’re that far away.’