Watford's hopes of Premier League survival were dealt a blow as they lost a hard-fought contest at Burnley.

The Hornets, who had hoped to use a game in hand to pull clear of their rivals at the bottom of the table, remain 16th, a point above the relegation zone.

Burnley move up to 11th in the table after Jay Rodriguez scored the decisive goal, with a glancing header from Dwight McNeil's cross.

The Clarets enjoyed the better of the early stages with Matej Vydra hitting the post and Rodriguez twice going close to scoring.

However, Watford, who won the corresponding fixture last term, will consider themselves unfortunate not to have gained a point.

Danny Welbeck was tackled when well placed to score, while Troy Deeney's powerful header from a corner was cleared off the Burnley line by McNeil.