Deadline Day signing Manolo Gabbiadini provided the only positive in Southampton’s defeat to West Ham, lashing a stunning opener on his debut for the club.
The Italy international, signed for £17m from Napoli, endeared himself to the Southampton faithful with a stunning strike on 12 minutes.
Having evaded the offside trap to gather Jay Rodriguez’s lofted pass, and with no other options available, Gabbiadini lashed the ball past Hammers stopper Darren Randolph at his near post, cannoning the ball off the bar into the back of the net.
The goal may have failed to inspire a debut victory, but Saints boss Claude Puel insisted his January signing has a bright future at St. Mary’s.
“For a first game we saw a lot of quality,” he said. "It was a fantastic first goal.
“He is a very good player for and will be very important for the future.”
Hit the video at the top of the story to enjoy Gabbiadini’s stunning debut strike.
JAMES Ward-Prowse is hoping for more Manolo Gabbiadini goals as Saints look to dig themselves out of a rut in the Premier League.
Saints have now lost six of their last seven games in the top-flight and, while they are still seven points off the relegation zone, are seemingly in freefall.
Gabbiadini, the £14.5m January transfer deadline day signing from Napoli, made an immediate impact on his debut, giving Saints a 1-0 lead in sensational style before West Ham came back to win 3-1.
“It’s good to see that he has settled in really quickly and good for him to get off the mark,” said Ward-Prowse.
“Obviously us lads are very, very pleased for him. Hopefully there is more to come.”
The 25-year-old Italian international gave Saints the lead on 12 minutes, but the Hammers were soon level at St Mary’s as Andy Carroll hit home.
Pedro Obiang and Mark Noble then sealed victory for Slaven Bilic’s side either side of the break.
“We started well and it was a great goal by Gabbiadini but I think we need to learn from this, especially conceding straight after we have scored a goal,” said Ward-Prowse.
“I think we wanted to come out in the second half and come back and I’ve not seen the third goal, I’m not sure if there was a deflection or not, but that killed our momentum,” he added.
“We are obviously disappointed with it.”
Saints are starting to make a habit of scoring, and then conceding soon after.
It happened in the 2-1 defeat to West Brom and the 4-1 loss against Tottenham, before Saints were beaten 2-1 at Swansea in similar fashion.
It’s something Ward-Prowse knows Claude Puel’s men need to sort out.
“It’s never nice to lose the game as we started the game well,” he said. “It’s been a downfall of ours, conceding straight after scoring.
“We need to rectify that quickly.”
Midfielder Ward-Prowse, who came back from an ankle injury against West Ham after missing out in the previous two games, has urged Saints not to let their heads drop after a miserable run.
“It’s a bad little run of form but we aren’t going to get over it by being down and looking behind us,” he said.
“We need to stay together and look forward to the matches to come and make sure that we are ready for those.”
JOSE Fonte stated that his “conscience is very clear” after he left Saints for West Ham in the January transfer window.
Fonte rejected a pay rise and a contract extension at St Mary’s, eventually asking to leave to pursue a move away after seven years on the south coast.
The 33-year-old joined West Ham for £8m last month, and returned with the Hammers in yesterday’s 3-1 defeat for Saints.
There were elements of the home crowd that booed Fonte, but it didn’t faze him and the Portuguese international admitted that it was emotional to be back.
“It is was it is,” he said, referring to the reaction of the Saints fans. “I always gave my best for this club. I always gave my sweat, blood and tears so my conscience is very clear.
“It was a strange experience coming back to Southampton today,” he added. “It was emotional, difficult, but in the end I can say a big thank you to everyone – to the West Ham supporters and my teammates for helping me get through this.
“It is difficult – I’m only human – but I think I managed to block everything [out] and stay focused on the game. The most important thing was achieved, which is the three points and a great performance.
“I had eight seasons at Southampton, but I need to look forward and today was always going to be tricky, but in the end, like I said with the help of my teammates and the West Ham supporters, who were fantastic, I can look forward to the next one.
“Like I said, the past has gone. It was great, but now I look forward to the new challenge I have ahead of me.
“The West Ham supporters gave me a great sense of calmness. Thank you to them and thank you to my teammates for getting me through.”
DID your club make a profit or loss on transfers during the January window?
The winter market saw the unusual pattern of the biggest clubs hardly spending, while some of the Premier League’s more desperate sides splashed the cash in a bid to climb the table.
Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham all made a profit, according to Transfermarkt.
CLICK THROUGH THE GALLERY ABOVE TO SEE EVERY PREM CLUB’S NET SPEND.
| Saints withdraw Mexes approach | Southampton have withdrawn a reported approach to sign free agent Philippe Mexes. According to a report today from … 05-02-2017 |
| Southampton interested in Martin Caceres | Southampton are interested in Uruguay defender Martin Caceres. According to an exclusive report from leading Italian … 05-02-2017 |
| 
| 
| 
