The goalkeepers came out on top at St Mary's Stadium this afternoon as Southampton and Burnley played out a 0-0 draw to begin their Premier League season.
Alex McCarthy made a series of fine stops in the first half to keep Burnley at bay, blocking from Aaron Lennon's volley and getting down to James Tarkowski's header.
The Saints enjoyed the better of the second period but could not find a breakthrough either, with new Burnley goalkeeper Joe Hart equal to efforts from Mario Lemina and Jack Stephens.
Danny Ings made his Southampton debut as a substitute against his former club and had a decent chance to snatch all three points when he headed over from a corner.
Relive how the action unfolded with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute updates below.
Southampton and Burnley practically switched roles last season as the Saints battled for their Premier League safety and the Clarets broke into the European places. What will this season hold for these two sides? They each begin their top-flight campaign at St Mary's Stadium this afternoon.
SOUTHAMPTON: McCarthy; Cedric, Stephens, Vestergaard, Hoedt, Bertrand; Romeu, Lemina, Armstrong; Redmond, Austin
Subs: Gunn, Bednarek, Hoijberg, Ward-Prowse, Elyounoussi, Ings, Gabbiadini
Subs: Gunn, Bednarek, Hoijberg, Ward-Prowse, Elyounoussi, Ings, Gabbiadini
BURNLEY: Hart; Lowton, Tarkowski, Mee, Ward; Lennon, Cork, Hendrick, Westwood, Gudmundsson; Wood
Subs: Heaton, Taylor, Vokes, Barnes, Gibson, Walters, Bardsley
Subs: Heaton, Taylor, Vokes, Barnes, Gibson, Walters, Bardsley
Mark Hughes hands debuts to two of his summer signings - defender Jannik Vestergaard from Borussia Monchengladbach and midfielder Stuart Armstrong from Celtic - with transfer deadline-day arrival Danny Ings starting from the bench against his former club.
Hughes sticks with the 3-5-2 system with which Southampton finished last season, with Jack Stephens and Wesley Hoedt flanking £22m man Vestergaard. Cedric Soares and Ryan Bertrand are an excellent pair of wing-backs and will be the main supply line to Charlie Austin up front.
Despite the £12m arrival of highly-rated England Under-21 international Angus Gunn, Alex McCarthy retains his place in goal after usurping Fraser Forster as Saints' No.1 last season. Forster is not even in the squad, which might catch the eye of some Championship clubs before the loan window closes.
Oriol Romeu is back in favour under Hughes having found himself on the periphary under former boss Mauricio Pellegrino. It is not such good news for James Ward-Prowse though, who was linked with a move away from his boyhood club late in the transfer window and is only on the bench today.
Also among the Southampton substitutes is Mohamed Elyounoussi, the £16m winger signed from Basel. The Norwegian international is Southampton's X-factor player now that Dusan Tadic and Sofiane Boufal have been moved on, but at 23 may take some time to settle in the Premier League.
For Burnley, Joe Hart makes his league debut after completing one of the most unlikely transfers of the summer. Burnley were already blessed with two of England's best goalkeepers but a long-term injury to Nick Pope forced them into the market. Now, Hart has another chance to reignite his Premier League career.
Key to Burnley's success last season was the consistency of selection that Sean Dyche was able make, rarely changing his starting lineup. This season he has the Europa League to contend with so will be forced into rotating his squad a lot more, and today he makes four changes to the team which drew 0-0 with Istanbul Basaksehir on Thrusday.
Dyche swaps his full-backs as Matt Lowton and Stephen Ward come in for Phil Bardsley and Charlie Taylor. Aaron Lennon replaces Jonathan Walters on the right wing and Chris Wood plays the lone striker role in a 4-5-1 formation as Ashley Barnes drops out.
Hart is the only one of Burnley's summer signings to make their season-opening starting lineup. Ben Gibson, signed from Middlesbrough, will have a tough task displacing either James Tarkowski or Ben Mee in defence and forward Matej Vydra is not even named in the squad today.
The Clarets have been to Turkey and back this week which could result in them being a bit leggy. However, at this early stage of the season, rather than that being a disadvantage, having three extra competitive games under their belt might make Burnley fresher and fitter than the Saints.
The biggest turn around that Burnley made last season to climb the table is their away form, racking up seven wins compared to just one in the 2016-17 campaign. Among those victories was a 1-0 triumph at St Mary's courtesy of a late Sam Vokes strike.
Another of those away wins came at Chelsea on the opening day, and a win today would be first time that the Clarets have recorded two consecutive wins on the opening-weekend of a top-flight season since 1967.
The Clarets lost just five away games in the last Premier League campaign, winning seven and drawing seven to earn 52% of their points on the road. They were the only team in the division who collected more than half of their points from away matches.
Should he come off the bench today, Ashley Barnes would become the first Burnley player to make 100 Premier League appearances for the club. The bullish forward signed from Brighton & Hove Albion back in 2014 has scored 20 goals in his 99 outings to date.
While Barnes is available in reserve to Dyche, Steven Defour and Robbie Brady are still recovering from long-term absentees. Without them, Burnley's midfield lacks a little bit of quality with the Ashley Westwood, Jack Cork and Jeff Hendrick trio a little samey.
The Saints have only won the opening fixture twice in 19 Premier League seasons, and never at St Mary's Stadium. They have not started a top-flight season with a home win since 1988-89 - a 4-0 victory over West Ham United at The Dell.
Southampton have recorded just one win in their last 11 home league games, drawing five and losing five. Their return of four home league wins was the second lowest in the division last season and that must be an area where Hughes is targeting improvement.
Hughes has recorded just one win in his last six league matches against the Clarets - a 2-0 victory with Stoke City in December 2016. A 1-0 defeat to Burnley last season was one of the Welshman's final games in charge of the Potters before his sacking.
HEAD TO HEAD: Southampton have won two of their six Premier League meetings with Burnley. However, the Saints have only lost two of their previous 16 home league encounters with the Lancashire outfit.
The last three league clashes have produced just four goals, with only one of those coming for Southampton, so I wouldn't expect a high-scoring affair here today. Burnley always take quite a pragmatic approach and Southampton only have a couple of goalscorers in their team.
Charlie Austin was Southampton's top scorer last season with seven goals, and that is despite him making only 10 league starts. If the former QPR forward can stay fit they he should double that return this campaign and that might be enough to ensure the Saints stay clear of trouble.
Austin, who scored 45 goals for Burnley in a two-and-a-half-year spell at Turf Moor between 2011 and 2013, has four goals in four Premeir League games against his old club. With Ings in reserve for Southampton too, it could be a difficult pill for Burnley's fans to swallow if they both get on the scoresheet.
Burnley have been producing strikers for Southampton for much of the last decade it seems. Another former Clarets forward who went to St Mary's Stadium was Jay Rodriguez, and Sean Dyche's side failed in a bid to bring him back to the club from West Brom this summer which was a disappointment.
Less than 10 minutes until kickoff on the South Coast now. There is another Premier League game kickoff off today - Liverpool versus West Ham at Anfield and my colleague Darren Plant has it covered here.
Mark Hughes on the transfer window to BBC Sports: "We are really happy with the window we've had. If you look at the guys we've brought in, we've strengthened in every department."
Sean Dyche on the transfer window to BBC Sport: "It's been the worst I've experienced. It's very frustrating and difficult and I'm very pleased the window is closed."
St Mary's is filling up nicely as kickoff approaches. Will they see their team get off to a winning start?
The church is rocking! Best place in the world!!!! Come On You Reds!!! #sms #saintsfc #soubur 🔴⚪️🔴 pic.twitter.com/4WsWiTyBdo — Asian Saint (@AsianSaint) August 12, 2018
PREDICTION: I can see one goal settling this game and I just fancy that Burnley will have enough. This won't be a game of many chances but I think the Clarets can nick something from a set piece.
KICKOFF: We are underway at St Mary's where Graham Scott is our referee today...
Burnley have started on the front foot and that may the advantage of these early Europa League matches. They are usually a side happy to concede possession but they have had all of it so far.
Matt Lowton is capable from long range but he skies an early sighter high over McCarthy's crossbar.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Burnley recycle a set piece quickly and the ball comes to Cork left of the penalty spot. He dispatches the ball into the bottom corner but the offside flag is raised. It was a very marginal call that!
Austin is yet to have a touch. He is the type of poacher who can be out of the game for long periods and then come up with a goal, but so far there is no sign of where his service is coming from.
SAVE! Wood, Hoedt and Vestergaard all go up for the same second ball and a flick on from one of the Saints defenders inadvertently falls into the path of Lennon. The former Spurs winger gets a volley away from 15 yards out but McCarthy was off his line quickly to make a really good block.
CLOSE! With Defour and Brady absent, Gudmundsson is on set-piece duty and he whips a 25-yard shot over the wall but without the dip for it to sneak under the bar as it lands on the roof of the net.
YELLOW CARD! The first booking of the game goes to former Saints midfielder Cork, who cynically brings down Lemina after the ex-Juventus midfielder had got away from his opponent with a lovely piece of skill.
SAVE! At last something promising from Southampton as Betrand gets forward down the left and delivers a cross which Lemina meets with a near-post header, forcing Hart to push around his post.
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UPDATE: There has been a goal at Anfield and last season's Premier League top scorer is on his way, with Mohamed Salah. putting Liverpool ahead against West Ham. How could I have left him out of my fantasy team? Managerial suicide.
A really good opening from Burnley goes to waste. They catch Southampton short at the back with Cork making a good run into the left channel. He centres the ball to Gundmundsson but by the time the Icelander cuts inside to get a shot away, Vestegaard recovers to make the block.
The visitors again get some joy down the left and the ball is pulled back for Westwood, whose low shot takes a deflection on its way wide of the post.
A little better from the Saints in the last couple of minutes. Armstrong arrives into the box as he did so well at Celtic but the angle is against him and he settles for hooking the ball back into the danger area, but there are no takers in the middle.
Lennon gets to the byline and tries to stand a cross up to the far post but it is beyond Gundmundsson.
Lemina appears the most likely to make something happen for Southampton. He drives through the midfield but was looking for Redmond to make a run in behind when the winger had decided to come short, and the danger passes.
Referee Scott has to intervene as tempers threaten to flare between Gudmundsson and Stephens. The last five minutes or so have been a bit scrappy.
Southampton conceded the most goals from crosses in the Premier League last season but I don't think that will be the case this year. Vestergaard is a towering figure and has got his head on everything so far.
Great skill persistence from Redmond down the Southampton left and he manages to hook a cross into the box, but only Austin is in the middle. Lemina and Armstrong had not kept up with play.
Burnley swing a free kick beyond man mountain Vestergaard but McCarthy punches it clear off the head of Wood, springing a Saints counter but there is not the incision to cut through the Clarets.
The hosts are enjoying their best spell but are so far lacking a cutting edge. Redmond has started to roam more freely and has had the beating of Ward on the Saints right a couple of times.
CHANCE! Romeu travels with the ball and accepts Burnley's invitation to take on a long-range shot, which takes a big deflection behind for a corner. Vestergaard gets up high but cannot keep his header down.
Austin switches the ball to Armstrong and carries on his run. The Scotsman tries to find him with a return cross but it is just too deep for Austin, stretching out his leg at the back post.
CHANCE! Chances for Burnley in stoppage time! Firstly McCarthy gets down to keep out Tarkowski's header, after a scuffed Ben Mee overhead had fallen for him perfectly at the back post. And then Wood has a headed opportunity from the resultant corner but it is easy pickings for the Saints goalkeeper.
HALF TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 0-0 BURNLEY
Not the worst half of football but we remain goalless at St Mary's Stadium. Burnley perhaps shaded things but a couple of crucial saves from Alex McCarthy keep the scores deadlocked.
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UPDATE: Liverpool are starting as they mean to go on as they are two up on West Ham at the break at Anfield - Sadio Mane adding to Salah's opener just before the whistle.
STATS: Check out the half-time numbers from this game with Sports Mole's new in-game stats centre.
This is a pretty good summary of the first half from a Southampton perspective...
HT Report: Saints 0-0 Burnley.1st 15 were bad.Sluggish.Couldn't keep the ball.Settled shortly after.Vestergaard looking strong.Dealing with everything crossed to the box.Armstrong impressed.Needing to play deep. Winning balls.Creating his own offence. #1 kept us in it #SouBur
— In that Number (@NumberPodcast) August 12, 2018
BENCH WATCH: The longer the game remains goalless, the more likely it is that we will see Southampton debuts for both Elyounoussi and Ings. Dyche has the option to sacrifice one of his midfielders and bring on a second striker in Barnes or Sam Vokes.
KICKOFF: We are back underway at the South Coast with both sides unchanged for now...
Southampton fans will want to see more of an attacking contribution from Bertrand and Cedric in this second half. They are playing with a back five rather than a back three, and I don't know whether that has come from the manager or whether Burnley have pushed the wing-back pair back.
CHANCE! Outstanding defending from Vestergaard who dives at full stretch to cut out a lovely Lowton cross that Wood was preparing to tap in at the near post. Stephens backs up his mate's good work by closing down Gudmunsson to divert his shot over the bar from the second ball.
SAVE! The ball falls to Hendrick from a corner and he swivels to get a left-footed shot away which McCarthy gets his body behind on the line. That could have been tricky coming through a crowded area.
UPDATE: Mane has a second at Anfield and Liverpool are now 3-0 up against West Ham and threatening to run riot. They are laying down a marker to Man City who begin their season against Arsenal this afternoon.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Hughes wastes little time in making his attacking changes, bringing on both Ings and Elyounoussi for Armstrong and Cedric, who was a fitness doubt heading into this match. It will be 4-4-2 for the Saints with Stephens to right-back and Redmond to the wing.
Ings received a very warm welcome from the whole of St Mary's, including the Burnley fans who still hold him in high regard after his 43 goals which helped them return to, and survive in, the Premier League.
SHOT! Elyounoussi drifts in from the left, running across the box and passing the ball onto Redmond. It is just behind the former Norwich City but he still manages to get a shot away which is deflected over.
OFF THE LINE! From the resultant corner, Mee gets in a tangle and nearly heads the ball into his own net, with only a vital clearance from underneath his own crossbar by Westwood sparing his teammate's blushes.
McCarthy has barely put a foot wrong this afternoon but a slack pass out here is intercepted by Wood, whose poor first touch gets the Southampton goalkeeper off the hook.
Nearly for Burnley, nearly! Lennon runs onto a loose ball and cushions a pass perfectly into Hendrick, who tries to find Wood with a through-ball which is just intercepted by the retreating Hoedt. Otherwise the New Zealander would have been in.
SHOT! Burnley are looking for a foul on Cork and the hesitation from Tarkowski allows Ings to pounce. A 25-yard curling effort from the substitute had Hart panicked but drops over the crossbar.
Both sides are working hard defensively to make sure they don't gift their opponents what could be a winning goal. Gundmundsson backtracks selflessly to cut out a cross destined for Austin.
SAVE! Ings knocks a cross to the far stick, and no Burnley player had followed the run of Stephens who meets the delivery on the volley, but Hart is well posititoned to block at his near post.
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SUBSTITUTIONS: Hughes plays his final card, bringing on Manolo Gabbiadini for Austin. Dyche uses his bench for the first time too, swapping Wood for Vokes up top. If Burnley had any real ambition to win the game, Dyche would have sacrificed a midfielder to go two up front.
SAVE! For the second time today, Lemina gets across his marker at the near post and he directs his header towards the far post, but Hart does well to cling onto it with a host of Saints players lurking for a rebound.
SUBSTITUTION: There has been a stoppage in play for Vestergaard to receive treatment for a bloodied nose. Dyche takes the chance to make a second change, and perhaps I was premature to write off his ambitions because here comes Ashley Barnes, with Jeff Hendrick making way.
CHANCE! Big chance for Ings on his debut as his clever movement helps him get away from Lennon, but he can't keep his header down.
Heading into the last 10 minutes now. Can either of these teams pinch all three points? Southampton look the most likely at present.
SHOT! Barnes falls into the 'scorer of great goals, not a great goal scorer' category, cohabited by your Tony Yeboahs and James McFaddens. He has scored some screamers in his time and the ball drops invitingly to him here but McCarthy is equal to his volley.
Ings is buzzing for this fresh start - his movement has been very lively but the assistant calls him up for offside from his latest run.
Ings cannot work the space for a shot on the edge of the box but Elyounoussi looks like he can, until Tarkowski comes across to make a vital block. How many times did he do that last season?!
It is all Southampton now with Burnley having resorted to defending in numbers. The Clarets missed their chances in the first half and now have to settle for a point, but it ain't over yet.
Elyounoussi knocks in a deep cross and Gabbiadini heads the ball back into the danger zone, but there was nobody else arriving late into the box, no midfielders willing to gamble.
There will be FIVE minutes of stoppage time at St Mary's...
Ings makes a run into the right channel and is followed by Mee, who wins the ball first but then stands on his former teammate's leg on the follow through. It is a nasty one and once Ings runs it off he complains to the assistant about a potential penalty. I don't think so but could see that Ings had a point.
Barnes turns well and puts a ball into the middle. Vokes, who scored a late winner in this fixture last season, gets in front of Vestergaard but cannot make clean contact.
FULL TIME: SOUTHAMPTON 0-0 BURNLEY
I did predict a low-scoring affair and on this occasion I am disappointed to be correct as things finish goalless at St Mary's. Burnley didn't make the most of their first-half chances, and Southampton couldn't find a breakthrough despite finishing the stronger. A point apiece to start the new campaign...
That is it from our coverage from the South Coast. Thanks for joining me for this match this afternoon and be sure to stay with us for the opening weekend main event of Man City vs. Arsenal. Goodbye!
