Ashley Barnes struck the only goal of the game to give Burnley their first win of the Premier League season at home to Hull City this afternoon.

Barnes pounced with a header on 51 minutes as the Clarets finally found the breakthrough after dominating the first half.

Steve Bruce's side were reduced to 10 men later on in the half after Curtis Davies went off injured, with the Tigers boss having already used all three substitutes.

Here, Sports Mole takes a look at how Burnley broke their duck in a feisty encounter at Turf Moor.

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Match statistics

BURNLEY
Shots: 6
On target: 3
Possession: 48%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 17

HULL CITY
Shots: 9
On target: 1
Possession: 52%
Corners: 1
Fouls: 17

Was the result fair?

Without a shadow of a doubt. Ashley Barnes's goal on 50 minutes was just desserts for a side that dominated the opening half after creating and missing several promising chances.

They were by far the better team long before Hull went down to 10 men - with Curtis Davies going off injured after Steve Bruce had already used all three substitutes - and Burnley boss Sean Dyche will have been sick had his side left Turf Moor with anything less than three points.

Burnley's performance

In his pre-match press conference, Dyche insisted that he was unworried by the fact his side had yet to win in the Premier League this season, and perhaps that calm demeanour has now been vindicated after he watched his troops earn a thoroughly deserved maiden win this afternoon.

The Clarets raced out of the traps and could have gone ahead within 40 seconds of kickoff through Danny Ings. They went on to dominate the half without finding tangible reward for their efforts. Unperturbed, Burnley continued on in the same vein and Ashley Barnes struck five minutes into the second half, a goal that might yet prove the foundations for which Premier League survival can be built.

They became increasingly anxious as the minutes ticked on, against a 10-man Hull determined to defy their numerical disadvantage, but they repelled everything that came their way en route to the final whistle. Burnley's season starts now.

Hull City's performance

After failing to force Southampton goalkeeper Fraser Forster into a single save at the KC Stadium last week, Hull looked utterly toothless in the final third here again. In truth, the Tigers did nowhere near enough to leave Turf Moor with anything other than the distinction of becoming the first team to lose to Burnley this season.

They were out-played and out-fought in a game that spawned little to no chances for Hull, with Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton finding himself as quiet as Forster did last Saturday. They are badly missing Nikica Jelavic up there.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Ashley Barnes: Danny Ings won Man of the Match from the match sponsors inside Turf Moor, but it's hard to look past Barnes for giving the pre-season relegation favourites belief that they can defy that label.

Dyche had alternated Marvin Sordell and Lukas Jutkiewicz in a central role with main man Ings up front to little effect in recent outings. He turned to Barnes as a last resort today, but the 25-year-old has surely done enough to leap ahead Sordell and Jutkiewicz in the pecking order after scoring a goal that will give the Clarets a platform to build on after the international break.

He was not the most active player on the field, but he was proven to be the most decisive. Priceless contribution.

Biggest gaffe

None of the players made any high-profile errors this afternoon. In fact, it was perhaps Hull boss Steve Bruce that deserves criticism.

Bruce took a gamble by making all three of his substitutions with over half an hour remaining in the game - one that backfired immensely as Davies was later forced off with a back injury, leaving Hull with 10 men and 20 minutes left. He put all of his eggs in one basket shortly after falling behind, and Hull's quest to salvage anything was undoubtedly hindered by that call.

Referee performance

Mark Clattenburg was dropped from referee duty last week after a series of minor breaches in protocol, and the Newcastle-based official will have precious few afternoons as hectic as this one proved.

Clattenburg booked no fewer than 10 players in total but, to his credit, they all looked correct. He had to contend with the famous 'you're not fit to referee' chant from the Burnley fans after failing to penalise Hull for what they felt was a back-pass, but he was right not to. Fine game.

What next?

Burnley: The Clarets face a tricky away trip to Stoke City on Saturday, November 22 following the two-week international break.

Hull City: City, meanwhile, host Tottenham Hotspur at the KC Stadium on Sunday, November 23.