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Southampton Football Club
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Southampton relieved after win at Sunderland, says Claude Puel

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Claude Puel said Southampton were relieved to end their losing run with an impressive 4-0 victory at Sunderland.

Manolo Gabbiadini’s first-half double sent the Saints on their way to a comfortable win at the Stadium of Light, as Jason Denayer’s late own goal and Shane Long’s low finish sealed the rout.

Having lost six of their previous seven league games, the victory sets Puel’s side up nicely for their EFL Cup final date with Manchester United, and importantly for the Southampton boss, ends a run of three straight defeats.

“It was very important for us this game, with this score it is a relief for the whole squad,” Puel said. "We had many losses and it was not possible to continue like this.

"It was important to give a good answer and a good reaction and I think since the beginning of the game - it was difficult at the start - but with the good spirit, quality and togetherness, we could take the ball and play, and it was difficult for Sunderland.

"We had a very good spirit, attitude, and it was a difficult game at the beginning. The score is large but it was a good team, Sunderland, in confidence after their last result and I think we made a fantastic game.

“We scored with quality, [and] it’s a good preparation for the next game.”

Puel also paid tribute to Gabbiadini, his £17m January signing from Napoli, who made it three goals from two Southampton appearances after his strike on debut against West Ham last Saturday.

“Three goals in his first two games is a good thing,” Puel added. "He’s a striker, he is a technical player with quality and can play with the team, proposing solutions between the lines.

"Also he is a striker, he can finish and dribble. It is a good thing for us.

“Now it is important to continue this work, to take three or four days off, this is a good thing for the squad. After we can prepare for the next game, which is very important for us.”

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

:four: in :seven: now for @ShaneLong7! :fire: #saintsfc

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 11/02/2017 23:05:53

| | Moyes on the boys v Southampton “We played well and with confidence” | Salut! SunderlandSALUTSUNDERLAND |
| | David Moyes fumes over controversial opener after Southampton rout SunderlandBELFASTTELE |
| | ‘Back to life, back to reality’ - Sunderland fans react to crushing Southampton defeatCHRONICLELIVENEWS |

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David Moyes bemoans Manolo Gabbiadini ‘handball’ for Southampton’s opening goal

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David Moyes believes Manolo Gabbiadini’s opening goal in Southampton’s 4-0 win over Sunderland should have been disallowed for handball.

The Italy international found the net via his upper arm to break the deadlock at the Stadium of Light, sending the Saints on their way to a first win in four games.

The defeat follows Sunderland’s best performance of the season - a 4-0 win at Crystal Palace - leaving Moyes to admit inconsistency continues to plague his side.

But the Sunderland boss felt the hosts were on top before the goal, adding he believed whoever opened the scoring was likely to go on and win the match.

“That maybe sums us up a little bit, one week we can be so good and another week we can be so bad,” Moyes said. "I thought we started the game really well, I thought we started very well in the first 20 to 25 minutes.

"We probably didn’t create enough opportunities to score but I think we were playing well, playing with confidence, but unfortunately they scored a goal that was handball.

"Sometimes things change a game, it wasn’t an easy decision for the referee to see but it was definitely taken in by his arm which makes a big difference in the game.

"I think the first goal would have been important for Southampton as well. If we had got it then they’ve lost quite a few games recently so it would have been a problem for them.

“It was going to be vital to whoever got the first goal. It was disappointing the referee didn’t see it but nevertheless we have to hold our hands up and make sure we do things a lot better.”

Moyes introduced Steven Pienaar at half-time and Fabio Borini early in the second half but the changes had little effect as Southampton scored two goals in the final minutes to add further gloss to the scoreline.

“The more attacking players we put on, the worse we became - that was just a fact of it,” Moyes continued.

"Anyway, we tried and we had to do something to get back in the game.

“I didn’t think we deserved to be two goals down at half-time, that was a big thing. The first goal went against us which unfortunately made it difficult.”

Sunderland must wait two weeks before they are next in action against Everton, with Moyes adding: "Like everybody else we don’t have a game next week so we’ll be in the same situation.

“We know we have a lot of tough games to come and today was a tough game.”

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Tadić praises Gabbiadini performance

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The Italian international became the first Saints player since Henri Camara in February 2005 to score in the first two Premier League appearances for the club.

And the diminutive playmaker, who clocked up his second assist of the season, has been impressed with the start he has made to life as a Saints player after linking up well with the forward against the Black Cats.

Tadić said: “He’s a very good player and a very good guy. He wants to learn and he’s come and started well.

“He has started to become very important for the team, he wants to play for the team and after that he gets his goals.

“Sometimes football language is the same and it’s important to speak between each other to see what he likes.

“He will adapt better and better and we will feel better."

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Puel hails strikeforce

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Gabbiadini followed up his debut goal against West Ham last week with two strikes in the first half at the Stadium of Light to put Saints in control.

He was substituted for Long during the second period, with his replacement netting the fourth, in added time, while his presence in the area also contributed significantly to Jason Denayer’s own goal shortly beforehand.

“It’s a good adaptation,” said Puel of Gabbiadini, who has three goals after his first two games as a Saints player.

"I said this when he came in, he is a good, technical player. He gives quality to the team, because he doesn’t lose the ball. We can find him between the lines, with good control, good passing.

"He can keep the ball and, after, he can give good solutions – good runs behind the defenders, and he has the ability to make the difference and to score. This is important for us, because since the beginning of the season we have had many chances, without being clinical, and this is important.

“I am happy also for Shane to score. All of this gives confidence to all the players, not just Gabbiadini.”

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@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

A huge thanks to the #SaintsFC fans who were at #SAFC! :clap:

You might have been a long way from the pitch, but we cou… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/830556021378707456

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Next stop: @wembleystadium!

#WeMarchOn

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Enjoy, #SaintsFC fans… http://sfcne.ws/SAFC90in90

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 12/02/2017 00:06:07

| | Sunderland 0-4 Southampton player ratings: James Hunter’s match marks from the Stadium of LightCHRONICLELIVENEWS |

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Sourced from Daily Star article

The 20 clubs with the best goals per game ratio in Premier League history

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SCORING goals is what all fans want to see, so which clubs have done that most consistently in the Premier League? (Stats up to 1/2/2017)

The 20 teams with the best goals per game ratios since the Premier League began in 1992 makes for fascinating reading, with a team who only played one season in the top flight sandwiched between Manchester City and Tottenham in sixth.

Champions Leicester only just scrape into the top 20 - but who else is ahead of them?

CLICK THROUGH THE GALLERY ABOVE TO FIND OUT - STATS COURTESY OF MYFOOTBALLFACTS.COM.

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Sourced from ESPN FC article

Sunderland’s David Moyes fumes over Southampton’s controversial opener

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Sunderland boss David Moyes was left to rue a controversial opening goal after seeing Southampton romp to a 4-0 Premier League victory at the Stadium of Light.

The Black Cats capitulated horribly after going 1-0 down on the half hour, eventually losing comfortably to the EFL Cup finalists.

However, Moyes insisted that the opener, which appeared to go in off striker Manolo Gabbiadini’s arm, should not have been allowed by referee Paul Tierney.

The Scot said: "Actually, we had played well for 20, 25 minutes, maybe as well as we had played here this season at times without making enough opportunities.

"Look, the goal goes in – and the first goal is really important because Southampton are a team who have been struggling for results, they had lost five or six of their games recently, so the first goal in today’s game was going to be really important for both teams.

"The boy puts it in with his arm. It doesn’t touch anybody’s head, it doesn’t do anything like that, it just goes straight in off his arm. It’s a great cross in, I must say, by Bertrand and it’s difficult for the referee maybe to see it.

“But it goes in off his arm, not any other part of his body, so that shouldn’t have been given and it really changes the way it goes.”

If there was a debate over the first goal, there was none over the second as £14.6 million January signing Gabbiadini turned John O’Shea to double the visitors’ lead.

Moyes made changes in an effort to rescue the game, but Jason Denayer’s late own goal and a fourth in stoppage time from substitute Shane Long completed a miserable afternoon for the home side.

Saints boss Claude Puel was delighted with his team’s display, which earned just a second league win in eight attempts, and will now hand his players four days off before beginning preparations for their Wembley showdown with Manchester United on Feb. 26.

Puel said: "It was a fantastic game and good, of course, with all those games lost before, it was very important to react and to give a good answer. I hope it’s the first game of a good cycle of course.

"It was important to win this game, a fantastic performance. Now we will take four days off with the family because we deserve this with all these games. It’s a good thing to do it after the win and then we can prepare for the next game, a little game.

"This game, we know, is a fantastic, exciting game. We are not favourites, of course, but we know that in football, all is possible – we saw this against Liverpool.

“To win with this result, four goals and with a clean sheet, it’s very good for the confidence and good preparation also for this game.”

Asked about Gabbiadini’s start to his career in England, which now amounts to three goals in two games, Puel added: “It’s a good start, a very good start, of course. He is a technical player. You can find him between the lines because he has quality, good control, good passing.”

Southampton’s mini-break will have a very different focus to that of Sunderland as they head off on a four-day team bonding trip to New York. However, Moyes insisted the defeat would not change his plans.

He said: “It doesn’t change anything. As a manager, you make decisions, you try to lead your team. You lead your football club, you try to do the right things and you have to stand by your decisions.”

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Gallery: Sunderland 0-4 Saints

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Sunderland 0 Southampton 4: Manolo Gabbiadini on fire as Black Cats stare at relegation

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Marco Gabbiadini became a goalscoring legend for Sunderland after joining them from York City for £80,000 when they were in the old Third Division. But Southampton recently invested £14.6million in their own Gabbiadini – and he is already well on the way to becoming a Saints hero. Manolo Gabbiadini, signed from Napoli in last month’s transfer window, was credited with a double in the first half yesterday. The Italian striker’s first looked to have come off the head of Sunderland centre-back Lamine Kone before glancing off Gabbiadini’s shoulder on its way to goal. Sunderland boss David Moyes, who takes his bottom-of-the-table side on a break to New York this week, insisted Gabbiadini had handled and that referee Paul Tierney should have ruled it out.

“Southampton have been struggling for results so the first goal was always going to be importan” He said: “We played well for 20-25 minutes – maybe as well as we’ve played here this season without making enough opportunities. “Southampton have been struggling for results so the first goal was always going to be important. “The boy puts it in with his arm. It was a great cross from Ryan Bertrand and it’s difficult for the referee to see it. “But it went in with his arm, not any other part of his body, so that shouldn’t have been given.’’ Moyes added: “I’m really disappointed with the result and the performance. This was a big opportunity for us to get out of the bottom three.’’

But there were no doubts about the second as Gabbiadini received a ball from Dusan Tadic and turned in between Kone and Black Cats skipper John O’Shea to beat keeper Vito Mannone with a clinical, right-foot finish. That made it three goals in Gabbiadini’s two games for the Saints – he scored after only 12 minutes of his debut in the 3-1 home defeat by West Ham – and the fifth successive match in which he has netted, after registering in each of his last three appearances for Napoli. Sunderland, 4-0 winners at Crystal Palace last week, then found out how it feels to be on the end of such a result. Centre-back Jason Denayer put through his own goal two minutes from time, sliding the ball in from Bertrand’s left-wing cross. And two minutes later, substitute Shane Long – who came on for Gabbiadini – side-footed home with ease from James Ward-Prowse’s square pass.

The win provided Southampton with their first away points of 2017 and relief after a run of six defeats in their previous seven league games. It was also the perfect boost in their last match before facing Manchester United in the EFL Cup Final at Wembley in two weeks’ time. Saints boss Claude Puel celebrated his biggest win as Saints boss and saluted Gabbiadini. He said: “It’s a very good start for him. He’s a technical player and he gives us a good solution in getting behind the defence. “It was very important for us to react and give a good performance. Hopefully this is the first game of a good cycle.’’ Sofiane Boufal, the £16m Morocco midfielder who scored the only goal of the game when the Saints beat Sunderland at St Mary’s in the EFL Cup in October, was ruled out with an ankle injury. But Tadic, whose penalty sealed victory here last season, returned in a starting line-up also featuring Nathan Redmond with Jay Rodriguez dropping to the bench.

Sunderland, with midfielder Darron Gibson in his first start since arriving from Everton last month, threatened in the sixth minute. Left-back Bryan Oviedo, who joined Gibson in moving from Goodison Park, whipped over a deep cross which Bertrand met with a weak header that fell to Adnan Januzaj. But the visitors’ left-back recovered enough to block the on-loan Man United playmaker’s effort. Januzaj set up an opportunity for Jermain Defoe on the quarter-hour but Sunderland’s leading scorer could not get a shot away. Gibson then played the home side into trouble after 19 minutes with a stray ball that found Gabbiadini but the forward dragged his finish woefully wide. Gabbiadini presented Cedric Soares with a chance with a ball across the penalty area but the right-back sliced his shot wide from around 20 yards out. Bertrand then delivered a left-wing centre that brought about the opener on the half-hour. The near-post ball was aimed for Gabbiadini but Kone tried to connect with a header and it appeared to take a touch off the Italian striker’s shoulder. Mannone applied a touch of his own but it was note nought to stop his side slipping controversially behind. And they were further adrift after Tadic’s astute pass found Gabbiadini just before the break. Tadic tested Mannone in the 63rd minute when he cut inside the defence and three minutes later there were ironic cheers from the home fans as Didier Ndong’s shot was saved by Fraser Forster.

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Video: Tadić on Sunderland success

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U18 Highlights: Fulham 3-0 Saints

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Southampton Under-18s didn’t show enough quality in the final third during their 3-0 defeat away to Fulham, according to manager Craig Fleming.

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 12/02/2017 01:06:23

| | Martial’s importance to United highlighted; Sanchez on fire - TEAMtalk | Latest Football News & Transfer RumoursTEAMTALK |
| | Gabbiadini: Striker double rocks Sunderland - Features - PulsePULSEGHANA |
| | Saturday Premier League wrap: Things you may have missedFOURFOURTWO |
| | Football Predictions & Betting Tips | News & Live Scores | Sporting LifeSPLIFE |
| | Sunderland’s New York plans won’t change in wake of Southampton defeat, says David MoyesSUNDERECHO |
| | Rumour Mill: Bayern eye Man United target; Chelsea warning - TEAMtalk | Latest Football News & Transfer RumoursTEAMTALK |
| | Long: 'Saints better than league position’SPORTSMOLE |
| | GIANLUCADIMARZIO |

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Sorry, boss…

You’ll just have to be happy with four! :grinning: #saintsfc

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 12/02/2017 02:06:36

| | Martial’s importance to United highlighted; Sanchez on fire - TEAMtalk | Latest Football News & Transfer RumoursTEAMTALK |

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:raised_hands: #saintsfc

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