WHAT is it with awful weather and Saints losing to Burnley?

The two seem to go hand in hand.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men were blown away in similar conditions on the opening day of the season at Turf Moor, losing 3-0.

And the weather returned to haunt Saints on Saturday, even though they managed to get themselves back in the game through Danny Ings.

An example of the havoc Storm Dennis was causing prompted laughter when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s shot from outside the area ended up being blown out of play for a throw-in.

It must be said that both teams had to combat the gale-force winds but, let’s be honest, it was bread and butter for Burnley.

Saints knew what to expect and, rightly or wrongly, Hasenhuttl drafted Jannik Vestergaard in, leaving Jan Bednarek out, to boost his side’s aerial presence.

However, with players not knowing where the ball was going to end up on its way down from a clearance, it made little difference.

Perhaps more worryingly for Saints is that they’ve now lost three of their last four Premier League games which is a blow to the momentum they had built up in recent months.

It’s worth noting that Liverpool and Wolves are good sides, but the St Mary’s side had opportunities in both matches and squandered them.

Aston Villa’s arrival next weekend should bring back good memories for Saints, as the 3-1 win at Villa Park kick-started their magnificent run over Christmas.

And if Saints can take points off another team battling to avoid the drop, it will ease any talk of them being sucked back into a relegation dogfight.

Not only will it do that, but it would also give them plenty of confidence going into the games against West Ham, Newcastle and Norwich.

Hasenhuttl talks about 36 points being the marker for safety and talking about new contracts, but you get the sense it’s more likely going to be 40.

This Premier League has been full of twists and turns at the foot of the table and Saints could ensure they are no longer part of that discussion come the middle of March.

They are going to have to get over the Burnley defeat pretty quickly and then figure out a plan of how to get by without Sofiane Boufal and Nathan Redmond.

Although the extent of Boufal's injury is not yet known, Redmond's setback couldn't have come at a worse time.

He was just starting to show signs that he was reaching last season's level with a string of solid performances.