OptiNews - Friday 29 December 2017 to Thursday 04 January 2018

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Sourced from The Independent article

Milivojevic claims Palace winner to deepen Saints struggles

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Southampton slipped to within a point of the relegation zone as they failed to win for the ninth game in a row despite Shane Long’s first Premier League goal in 324 days.

Long’s early strike was cancelled out by to second half goals from James McArthur and a brilliant winner from Luka Milivojevic, who atoned for his missed penalty against Manchester City on New Year’s Eve. The home crowd, many of whom had left by full-time, vented their anger against their manager, Mauricio Pellegrino, who had been given the backing of his board earlier in the day.

The Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger yesterday admitted that the protracted Virgil Van Dijk transfer saga has loomed ominously over the first half of the club’s season and is expecting his exit to be the catalyst for an upturn in form.

That failed to happen against Crystal Palace as the Saints’ dismal home form continued and made relegation a very real possibility.

The Canadian-born German has also given his full backing to Saints manager Pellegrino, saying: “From the get-go, Mauricio has completely embraced the way we operate here. The transfer that has just gone through is the end of a very difficult phase for the club.”

Shane Long’s first Premier League goal for 324 days gave Saints the start they were after as the Irishman fired in form Jeremy Pied’s low cross on the sodden St Mary’s turf. Long’s relief was palpable and shared by his teammates who rushed to join him in celebration.

Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg is beginning to show some of the promise that prompted his £12m purchase from Bayern Munich at the beginning of last season. The Dane forced a superb fingertip save from Wayne Hennessey with a rising drive from 25 yards.

The Saints deserved their first-half lead though Palace looked dangerous on the break, predictably through Wilfried Zaha, when they attacked in wide areas.

This was not a night for pretty football and standing water on the pitch meant both teams frequently conceded possession in dangerous areas. But Palace created little of note in the first half and only tested their former goalkeeper Alex McCarthy once, when he pushed Andros Townsend’s low effort round the post.

The Eagles had a day less to prepare for this contest than their hosts and punishing fixtures against Arsenal and Manchester City over the festive period seemed to be taking their toll on Roy Hodgson’s side. They did finally create a good opening when Christian Benteke turned sharply to force a good low save from McCarthy.

Hodgson introduced Bakary Sako after an hour and he provided Palace with more energy and the catalyst for victory. Soon after the Eagles equalised when Benteke nodded down Townsend’s deep cross giving McArthur the chance to volley high into the net.

Saints’ fragile confidence was then fully exposed as the fell behind leading supporters to begin chants of “you’re getting sacked in the morning” against their manager. Townsend was again the provider, this time from the right as he found Milivojevic who swept home brilliantly from the edge of the area.

A hostile atmosphere ensued at the final whistle with the club now under great pressure to invest the Van Dijk riches wisely and quickly. Hodgson meanwhile can continue looking upward after a bruising run of festive fixtures.

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Sourced from Sky Sports article

Pellegrino: We must bounce back

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Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino says it is disappointing to lose after dominating much of the first half in their 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in the Premier League.

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Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 03/01/2018 01:48:02

| | Southampton 1 Crystal Palace 2: Milivojevic inflicts more pain on struggling SaintsFOURFOURTWO |
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| Southampton undone by Crystal Palace at St Mary’sSBNATIONSTMARYSMUSINGS |
| | Long finally ends goal droughtEIRSPORT |
| | Southampton Tickets | Fulham Football ClubFULHAM |

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Sourced from Daily Mail article

Raheem Sterling pays tribute to Man City team-mate Gabriel Jesus

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Eight Premier League sides played their first game of 2018 and that action served up a dose of the expected top flight drama.

Manchester City returned to winning ways with an easy 3-1 victory at home to Watford, with an own-goal sandwiched between strikes from Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero proving to be enough, as Andre Gray bagged a late consolation for the Hornets.

Tottenham laboured to a 2-0 victory at the Liberty Stadium against Swansea, courtesy of Fernando Llorente’s header against his old side, which he chose not to celebrate, and an effort from Dele Alli.

Further down the table, West Ham’s encounter with West Brom served up late drama, with a stoppage time winner and earlier header from Andy Carroll negating the impact of James McClean’s deflected opener.

Crystal Palace’s visit to St Mary’s saw Shane Long end his 36-game goal drought, but an equaliser from James McArthur and strike from Luka Milivojevic gave Roy Hodsgon’s side their second away win of the season.

Here, Sportsmail brings you a round-up of all the things you may have missed from the Premier League.

No Premier League side is on a longer winless run than West Brom, and such is their misfortune, that the club now edge further towards a piece of unwanted Premier League history.

Only three sides have had been made to wait longer for a win than the Baggies, who are now 20 games without a win. The club’s last win came on the second week of the season, a 1-0 victory away to Burnley in August.

Only Derby (32), Sunderland (26) and Norwich (21) have endured a worse run, with Alan Pardew’s side hoping they can secure three points at home to Brighton January 13 in order to avoid joining Norwich on 21 consecutive winless games.

Among current Premier League sides, West Brom’s record of 20 winless games is entering a league of its own, with Southampton (8) and Burnley (5) rounding off the top three but still considerably behind the winless Baggies.

No Premier League side has gone more than nine games without a win this season, as West Brom overtake Aston Villa’s record for 19 without a win in 2015-16. With 13 more winless games, Alan Pardew’s side could surpass Derby’s record of 32 games without a win from the 2007-08 season.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe was spotted at St Mary’s, presumably doing a spot of pre-match scouting, despite his side not facing either Southampton or Crystal Palace until April.

Howe was present to see Shane Long end his 36-game goal drought as Southampton continued their slide down the table.

There had been some 11 months between his last goal and his strike against Crystal Palace, but one of the league’s longest striking goal droughts was ended when Shane Long scored for the first time in 36 games.

It was the Irish striker’s first goal since netting in a 4-0 win against Sunderland. There was a staggering 325 days between the two goals, as Long endured a near-goalless 2016 for both club and country.

The festive period is packed with fixture after fixture, so naturally, such a busy period takes its toll on all involved, including football pitches.

The Liberty Stadium was far from a sight to behold, with the wet weather conditions stopping Tottenham from finding a rhythm with their passing, while at St Mary’s, Southampton’s pitch looked worse for wear, with visible chunks of grass on display throughout.

Raheem Sterling is scoring for fun this season. He already has 18 in 18 starts, including a few late winners, as was the case against Bournemouth, Huddersfield and Southampton. Against Watford he scored in a matter of seconds, giving the English forward a record of sorts.

That early strike after 38 seconds against the Hornets makes Sterling the earliest scorer in 2017-18, while his effort after 96 minutes and 35 seconds against Bournemouth means he also the latest goal scorer in the Premier League this season.

Speaking of Sterling and Manchester City forwards in top form, the former Liverpool man paid tribute to the one stuck on the injury table with his goal celebration.

After Sterling tucked home in the opening minute, he celebrated by mimicking Gabriel Jesus’ phone call celebration to pay tribute to his team-mate.

Jesus had recently been ruled out for around six weeks after injuring his medial collateral ligament during the goalless draw with Crystal Palace on New Years Eve.

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Long: We need the fans more than ever

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Saints led at St Mary’s through Long’s first-half strike, but the Eagles’ second-half fightback leaves Mauricio Pellegrino’s team above the Premier League relegation zone only by virtue of goal difference.

“It’s very frustrating, very disappointing,” said Long. "We knew it was a massive game, and going 1-0 up and playing some good football I thought we could have gone on and got two or three.

"Fair play to Palace, they held on in there and the longer the game went on the more they grew into it.

"We knew what they were about, we knew that the ball would come into the box and it was all about second runs off Benteke and they scored from it. It was a bit of a sucker punch for us, and when you’re in the situation that we’re in it’s hard to get out of – you need that win, you need that bit of luck to go your way.

“We’ve got a good side, we’ve got good players and we just need to start believing. It’s frustrating for us and for the fans, but we need them now more than ever.”

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Sourced from Southampton FC - Official Site article

Pellegrino: We lacked confidence

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Shane Long’s first goal of the season put Saints in charge, giving Pellegrino’s men an advantage they maintained until the 69th minute in monsoon conditions at St Mary’s.

But James McArthur levelled the scores from close range before Luka Milivojevic struck the winner for a rejuvenated Palace side ten minutes from time.

“I think we gave them the possibility to react,” said the manager.

“We played five steps deeper, without the confidence to go forward and try to score the second goal.

“Obviously we let them into the game with the first goal and the second goal was a knock for our players. We couldn’t react after that.

“I don’t know if it’s the pressure or the lack of confidence, but we had to read the game much better.

“Especially with the weather and the pitch it was difficult, but sometimes you have to clear the ball and not give them the possibility.

“The lack of confidence is the worst thing that we have – the small things are really big for us when you are a little bit down.

“It’s part of our job and part of football, with one winner and one loser. We have to react, use our best character to be better and realise that we are in a difficult situation.”

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Sourced from Optimus trousers summary article summary

Summary of non-mainstream articles: 03/01/2018 02:48:27

| | Report: Southampton sound out Celtic’s Erik Sviatchenko about potential moveHEREISTHECITY |
|

| REPORT: Reading 0 Blues 2BIRMINGHAMFC |

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Sourced from Reuters.co.uk article

Palace duo out for the season after fouls on De Bruyne

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SOUTHAMPTON, England (Reuters) - Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson confirmed defender Scott Dann and midfielder Jason Puncheon will miss the rest of the season after suffering knee injuries against Manchester City on Sunday.

Both were booked for fouls on Kevin de Bruyne which led to their respective injuries in the 0-0 Premier League draw and forced them both off the pitch.

“It’s very bad news. Dann is an anterior cruciate ligament and Puncheon a rupture in the posterior cruciate ligament,” Hodgson told a news conference after Palace’s 2-1 win over Southampton at St Mary’s on Tuesday.

“They will both see a specialist and (are) likely (to) undergo surgery when the swelling goes. We won’t see them play again this season and they may not be ready for the next. (The result against Man City) came at a high price as we lost two of our most senior players.”

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Sourced from Sky Sports article

Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino seeking reinforcements

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Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino has confirmed that he will actively seek to strengthen the attacking options at his disposal during the January transfer window.

Pellegrino was left frustrated after watching his side surrender a one-goal lead to lose 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace on Tuesday night.

The Saints have been linked with a move for Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge, and Pellegrino has money to spend following the £75million sale of Virgil van Dijk.

The Argentine was asked about any potential transfer business following the Palace defeat and he said: “We’ve got a couple of targets, and it will be important to try to bring them as quick as possible to improve not just inside but outside the pitch. To lift the confidence of everyone.”

When pressed on which position he will look to strengthen, he added: “Especially in our offensive.”

The Saints could certainly do with extra firepower after they ran out of ideas against Palace at St Mary’s, with the side failing to build on an encouraging first period.

Shane Long ended his 11-month goal drought to put the hosts deservedly in front after 17 minutes but the opportunities dried up after the interval to leave Pellegrino frustrated.

He added: "It’s a difficult game for us to digest because in the first half we dominated the game.

"We gave them the possibility to react in the second half by playing five yards deeper. The confidence went after they scored the second goal.

"Difficult moments is part of the job in football. We have to react and learn from this situation as we’re in a difficult position now.

"In the Premier League everything is really tight, when you give sides the chance you can be in trouble. But our position isn’t just about today.

“For a long time we’ve needed to improve. In a difficult moment, everyone looks at the manager, but we have to bounce back and react from this situation.”

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 03/01/2018 07:16:27

| | Pellegrino does not fear Southampton sack despite latest lossBELFASTTELE |

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Sourced from A tweet by SouthamptonFC tweet

@SouthamptonFC - Southampton FC

We’re wishing a happy 49th birthday to former #SaintsFC captain Chris Marsden!

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

‘We like the human being he is’: Southampton FC chairman backs under-fire manager Pellegrino

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In his major interview since May, Krueger praised the job Pellegrino is doing ahead of tonight’s key clash against Crystal Palace.

He also eased the immediate pressure on Pellegrino as sections of the fanbase question his position with Saints sat just above the relegation zone.

Krueger admitted it has been a difficult time for the club due to the Virgil van Dijk transfer saga, though he refused to blame the player or any individual for how it has worked out.

However, he is adamant that with van Dijk now gone to Liverpool, things can back to normal, and that will help Pellegrino.

He said: “A plan was put in place right after the season to consolidate where we were and the transfer that has just gone through is the end of a very difficult phase for the club.

“Mauricio was a part of it, and we were all a part of it, including the team and the players.

“I in no way, shape, or form, am angry at any one individual for what has happened here in the last few months, because it was bigger than any individual, in our club or outside of our club. That chapter closes now.

“The cloud was there, we allowed a certain negativity into our very fragile environment, which is based on positivity, on looking for solutions, on creativity and so on, and I believe we can truly get back to that now.”

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Pellegrino defiant over Saints future

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MAURICIO Pellegrino still believes he can make a success of the Saints job despite angry supporters calling for his head after last night’s 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace at St Mary’s.

The Palace defeat saw Saints drop to just outside the relegation zone on goal difference alone and follows chairman Ralph Krueger’s words of support for the besieged Argentine in an interview with the Daily Echo.

“For sure because I think sometimes there are moments,” he said, when asked if he believes he can turn it around after just four victories in 22 league matches.

“I will repeat that from the first half to the second the confidence affects everything because the players are the same.

“I am responsible for this and obviously for our mentality.

“Every single game is an opportunity to show a different face and now we have Saturday and next week with another possibility to bounce back.”

Pellegrino was booed off at St Mary’s and there were chants of ‘getting sacked in the morning’ emanating from the stands.

Reacting to that, he said: “I understand the fans because we have the same feelings.

“Everybody wants the best for this club.

“Obviously I respect their reaction to the performance but this situation is not about just today it’s about a period of time that we couldn’t compete as we want and we understand the reaction of the people.”

The 46-year-old is thankful for Krueger’s understanding during a difficult time for the team and says that “together” they can change Saints’ fortunes.

“I think Ralph was manager in a different sport, working as a man of sport, and he knows and also Les has got the understanding of what the people need in this environment,” he said.

“Everybody here is part of a context and we have to take responsibility for our actions, but we are together and try to do our best to improve every single day.

“Sometimes when one side are winners and one side are losers. We are on this side and we have to be on the other.”

Pellegrino takes the blame for the Palace defeat, which saw Shane Long score his first goal since February 11 before the Eagles came back to win thanks to goals from James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic.

“Yes, for sure. Everybody here is responsible. Me, as the first one,” he said.

Pellegrino doesn’t fear for his job, though.

He said: “We know that the biggest risk in our job is to work.

“I prefer to assume risk instead of doing nothing.

“The people that do things is the people that make mistakes and I prefer to make mistakes instead of do nothing.

“Sometimes I do the right thing, sometimes no, but every we are responsible.”

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

THE VERDICT: Big trouble brewing for Saints

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There is big trouble brewing at Saints.

Defeat to Crystal Palace leaves them separated from the bottom three only by goal difference, and with just a few really winnable looking home matches left in the campaign.

And what an awful night it was for Saints as the Eagles swooped for the three points.

If there is one thing that Saints had proved adept at this season it’s taking advantage of some promising situations when they are presented to them.

Their four wins are evidence of exactly that.

A late penalty against West Ham, a terrible Crystal Palace team rooted to the bottom of the table early in the season, a West Brom side on the wane at the end of the Tony Pulis era and Everton in meltdown post Ronald Koeman.

Nothing should be taken away from Saints for winning those matches. It’s three points no matter how you get them, and it’s a decent habit to have.

For Saints the problem has been picking up wins under what you might describe as more normal circumstances.

The visit of Palace to St Mary’s was a case of the result mattering far more than a performance, feeling as it did such a vital match at a vital time.

It seemed rather handy then that circumstances conspired to provide another winning environment for Saints to grab hold of.

In a way you had to feel a little sorry for Palace. This was also a massive game for them, but they were considerably handicapped and Saints benefitted by the fixture schedule.

Saints enjoyed the comparative luxury of two full days off after their exertions at Old Trafford in their previous match.

Palace had one measly day to get over holding Manchester City to a goalless draw.

Not the fault of Saints, or Palace, but always likely to be a factor.

That was then heightened by the conditions.

Wind and rain, a sticky and cut-up pitch which made running heavy going, and also had the added bonus of partly neutralising Palace’s biggest attacking threat, Wilfried Zaha, without Saints having to get as involved themselves as might have been the case.

After chairman Ralph Krueger’s words earlier in the day, the pressure had been eased on Mauricio Pellegrino, and his team, but despite all the promising omens, this time Saints didn’t take advantage.

And that means recriminations, questions and no shortage of worry ahead.

Saints handled the difficult conditions better in the first period.

They nearly got a goal just seconds after the kick-off as Ryan Bertrand’s header was laid off to Shane Long by Dusan Tadic, but the striker fired well over.

If that felt that an all too familiar tale for Long in recent weeks and months then there was to be a sense of relief when he finally broke a scoring drought that went back to February and 1320 minutes of Premier League action.

Just a minute after Pierre- Emile Hojbjerg had a shot well saved by the diving Wayne Hennessey, Bertrand’s left wing cross eventually came out to Jeremy Pied on the right, and he squared to Long level with the penalty spot.

There was no hint of hesitation, worry or lack of form as he confidently finished first time right footed into the bottom corner.

Palace were far less of a threat than had been anticipated, due surely to their extra fatigue, but always suggested that they could produce a lively counter attack.

Zaha hit a poor shot when given half a chance early on while two long range drives from Andros Townsend were saved by Alex McCarthy.

Saints were undone by a bizarre half time shift in mindset.

With Palace having looked so there for the taking, for some reason Saints sat back.

They seemed as if they had decided that one was enough and from the early moments appeared to be running down the clock and content to be on a containment job.

It was a big mistake and they paid dearly.

Palace weren’t great but as soon as the momentum had switched it was impossible to turn it back.

There was a warning as McCarthy had to save well down to his left from Christian Benteke before Palace equalised on 69 minutes.

A free kick was cleared out to Townsend whose cross was headed back across goal by Benteke to the grateful James McArthur totally unmarked and able to side foot a volley home.

Luka Milivojevic came close with an effort on the turn in the box but produced an unstoppable shot with ten minutes remaining to stun Saints.

He had time and space in a central position 20 yards out after being picked out by a square pass from the right but opted to shoot first time. His right footed effort bent wildly into the bottom corner, giving McCarthy no chance.

It almost got even worse as Saints failed to deal with a long ball and were relieved that Zaha fired over.

Not that it ultimately mattered. The boos that rang around the ground at full time told their own story.

Krueger gave Pellegrino his backing, and despite this result surely cannot about turn this quickly.

Saints pride themselves on not making kneejerk decisions, including signings, but the manager will need to be provided with more tools in the transfer market.

Make no mistake, Saints are in big trouble.

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Summary of non-mainstream articles: 03/01/2018 10:19:08

| | 2 Liverpool stars who should follow Daniel Sturridge to Southampton if he moves in January | | Where football …THETRANSFERTAVERN |
| | Pellegrino doesn’t fear sack despite Southampton strugglesAOLCOUK |
|

| Southampton 1-2 Crystal Palace: Match recapFANSIDEDSAINTSMARCHING |

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The Ugly Inside News for Southampton

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Southampton 1-2 Crystal Palace - as it happened

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Get involved with the news in your community

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Southampton 1-2 Crystal Palace - are you in our fan pics?

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It was a miserable defeat for Saints, who are now only out the relegation zone on goal difference alone.

Shane Long’s first goal since February 11 gave Saints the lead, but in a pathetic second-half Mauricio Pellegrino’s men went down with a whimper.

James McArthur volleyed home at the far post, before Luka Milivojevic stunned Saints with a superb strike ten minutes from time.

The Southern Daily Echo’s chief photographer, Stuart Martin, was at St Mary’s Stadium to capture all the action between Southampton and Crystal Palace during their Premier League clash - so be sure to check out the pictures above.

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Sourced from Daily Echo article

Southampton 1-2 Crystal Palace: Long scores but Saints slump to defeat

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Shane Long’s first goal in 325 days was undermined by Crystal Palace once again coming from behind to secure three vital points in a 2-1 victory at Southampton.

The striker’s struggles in front of goal have characterised those of his team since the final weeks of the reign of former head coach Claude Puel.

Under Mauricio Pellegrino they have become contenders for relegation, and after falling to 16th place as Palace rose to 14th with finishes from James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic, their supporters chanted for the manager’s sacking.

That Palace were involved in their third fixture in six days presented the hosts with a fine opportunity to end the winless run that stretched back to November and has led to growing pressure on his position.

Their visitors had instead enjoyed an encouraging run that had significantly strengthened their hopes of survival, but at a demanding time were left at a disadvantage by Southampton entering only their second game in seven days.

If Pellegrino’s team were short on confidence, they recognised from kick-off the need to build on those circumstances and made a promising start.

They had already consistently probed when Oriol Romeu played a square ball across midfield to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who in space from 25 yards unleashed a powerful strike the diving Wayne Hennessey did well to tip over.

Palace were already showing signs of fatigue - perhaps owing largely to the energy used holding Premier League leaders Manchester City to a 0-0 draw a little over 48 hours earlier - and in the 17th minute Southampton scored.

After Ryan Bertrand’s over-hit cross from the left was collected on the opposite wing by Jeremy Pied, the Frenchman played a low ball back into the area that was almost ignored by the visitors’ static defence.

Gifted both time and space, Long finally scored the goal that had eluded him for so long when, on the turn, he powerfully shot first time beyond Hennessey and inside the far right post.

It took until the 30th minute for Palace to have a sight on goal, when Andros Townsend’s curling effort was tipped wide by their former goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, and thereafter their energy gradually improved.

Roy Hodgson responded at half-time by replacing Yohan Cabaye with Patrick van Aanholt. Bakary Sako also soon came on for Jeffrey Schlupp, but when Wilfried Zaha found Christian Benteke inside the area, the striker’s goal-bound shot was impressively tipped away by McCarthy from the bottom right corner.

The equalising goal they were beginning to threaten then almost immediately followed. It was in the 68th minute, after Van Aanholt’s delivery had already been cleared, when Townsend chipped into the area, Benteke nodded into McArthur’s path, and the midfielder powerfully finished high into the roof of the net.

Palace have recently secured draws from losing positions against Bournemouth and West Ham, and victories over Watford and Stoke.

When Townsend squared to Milivojevic in the 80th minute another did not look imminent, but the Serbian struck first time and curled into the bottom left corner from 25 yards, securing another win and furthering Southampton’s misery.

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Southampton 1-2 Crystal Palace: Pellegrino blames lack of confidence

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Mauricio Pellegrino blamed a lack of confidence from his players for their second half slump against Crystal Palace.

Saints find themselves separated from the relegation zone only by goal difference following a dispiriting 2-1 home defeat to Roy Hodgson’s side.

Saints took the lead in the first half through Shane Long, but sat back in the second period and Palace took full advantage to bag a massive win in the wind and rain at St Mary’s.

Pellegrino said: “It was the lack of confidence of the players. Sometimes we pass the ball backwards or didn’t go forward with the intention to try and go forward and to be dangerous.

“We had the intention to pass the time and this when your confidence is not high because you want to keep the results. That sometimes works against you.”

Saints came into the game on the back of what seemed a morale boosting draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford, but it appeared to count for little when it mattered most.

“It was a difficult night because I think the history change completely in the second half when we show another face in the first half,” said Pellegrino.

“We gave them the possibility to be in the game and I think we played five metres deeper in the second and we gave Crystal Palace the chance to be there with long balls that created troubles.

“When we kept the possession we maintained the ball but not with the strength to go forward to score the second one.

“We never read the game in the best way because with the conditions and the pitch heavy sometimes we had to play more simple, even more when you’re winning 1-0.”

He added: “They were playing much better at Old Trafford than today, with more confidence, better possession and passes.

“My players are the same apart from Jeremy (Pied) and Ryan (Bertrand) the full backs. Sometimes the lack of confidence effect everything.

“It’s a difficult moment that’s part of our job, part of our profession and now we have to react because we are in a difficult moment.”

There was at least one bright spot in the game as Long ended a wait that stretched back to February for a goal.

“I am happy with him but not happy because we couldn’t convert this goal in points,” reflected Pellegrino, whose side now face an FA Cup trip to Championship side Fulham.

“Shane is a worker, his spirit really good waiting for his opportunity.

“Hopefully he can score in the next few games to increase the confidence for everybody.”

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