2016–17 Southampton F.C. season

Claude Puel took over from Ronald Koeman as Southampton manager at the beginning of the 2016–17 season.

Southampton began the 2016–17 Premier League season on 13 August 2016 with a home fixture against Watford, which ended in a 1–1 draw.[38] Watford midfielder Étienne Capoue opened the scoring for the visitors within ten minutes, before winger Nathan Redmond scored on his debut shortly after half-time to seal a point for the hosts.[38] The following week the club travelled to Old Trafford to face Manchester United, losing 2–0 to drop to 13th in the table.[39] Zlatan Ibrahimović opened the scoring for the hosts shortly before half-time, and later scored his second from the penalty spot after the break following a foul by Jordy Clasie on former Southampton defender Luke Shaw.[39] On 27 August, the club drew 1–1 with Sunderland at St Mary's Stadium.[40] The game remained goalless until late in the game, when Jermain Defoe opened the scoring with a penalty for a foul by José Fonte, before Jay Rodriguez equalised five minutes before full-time.[40] The draw saw Southampton drop further down the table to 15th.[40]

Following a break for international fixtures, Southampton faced Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on 10 September, losing 2–1.[41] The Saints opened the scoring within the first 20 minutes, when a Dušan Tadić free kick deflected off goalkeeper Petr Čech into the goal.[41] Laurent Koscielny equalised for the hosts ten minutes later with an overhead kick, and in added time at the end of the game Santi Cazorla scored a controversial penalty to secure the win.[41] The Saints picked up their first league win of the season the following week when they beat Swansea City by a single goal, scored by Charlie Austin.[42] On 25 September, Southampton travelled to the London Stadium to face West Ham United, winning 3–0 to move up to the top half of the league table.[43] The Saints dominated much of the game, with Austin opening the scoring just before half-time with his fifth goal in four games (in all competitions).[43] Tadić scored in the 62nd minute to double the visitors' lead, before substitute James Ward-Prowse scored in injury time to make it three.[43]

Southampton faced league champions Leicester City on 2 October in a game that ended goalless.[44] Austin came closest to scoring in the first half, hitting the post once and heading on goal twice.[44] The striker was also denied in the second half by Kasper Schmeichel, while Jamie Vardy saw his side's best chance blocked later on.[44] After another international break, Southampton hosted Burnley on 16 October, winning the game 3–1.[45] After a goalless first half, the Saints scored three goals in 15 minutes to take a commanding lead, with Austin opening the scoring after 52 minutes and Redmond scoring on 60 minutes.[45] Austin scored a penalty six minutes later to make it three, before Sam Vokes also converted from the spot for the visitors.[45] The following week, Southampton drew 1–1 with Manchester City.[46] Redmond opened the scoring for the Saints in the 27th minute after a mistake by City defender John Stones, although the visitors did not have many more chances to score in the first half.[46] After the break, the home side equalised quickly through Kelechi Iheanacho, but saw a number of chances to win the game prevented by Fraser Forster in the Southampton goal.[46] The month ended with a 2–0 loss at home to Chelsea, thanks to goals from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa.[47]

Charlie Austin scored four goals in four games between 17 September and 15 October 2016 to help Southampton move up to the top half of the table.

On 6 November, Southampton lost 2–1 at the struggling Hull City.[48] The Saints went a goal up within six minutes, when Charlie Austin scored a penalty awarded for a foul by Curtis Davies.[48] The visitors continued to dominate throughout the rest of the first half and into the second, although the hosts equalised through Robert Snodgrass in the 61st minute.[48] Within two minutes, Hull went 2–1 through Michael Dawson, holding on for an unlikely win.[48] On 19 November, the club returned from another international break to face Liverpool at St Mary's, which ended in a goalless draw.[49] Former Saints winger Sadio Mané came close to opening the scoring for the visitors twice in the first half, before Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Nathaniel Clyne also missed good chances later on, with the home side's defence playing strongly to keep Liverpool out.[49] The following week, Southampton beat Everton (managed by former Saints boss Ronald Koeman) by a single early goal to return to tenth in the league table.[50] Charlie Austin scored in the first minute to put the hosts ahead, converting a cross from debutant Josh Sims.[50] Southampton continued to dominate possession and chances on goal throughout the match, with James Ward-Prowse coming closest to doubling his side's lead in the second half.[50]

The Saints lost 3–0 to struggling Crystal Palace in their first game of December, dropping down a place in the league table as a result.[51] Christian Benteke opened the scoring for the home side in the 33rd minute after a poor clearance from Fraser Forster, before James Tomkins double Palace's lead just a few minutes later from close range.[51] The visitors enjoyed the majority of possession and chances on goal, but Benteke struck again late on to secure the victory.[51] The following week, Southampton picked up a 1–0 win over Middlesbrough at St Mary's Stadium to move up to tenth in the league table.[52] After a first half of relatively few chances, Sofiane Boufal broke the deadlock shortly after the break with his first Premier League goal, striking from around 25 yards out.[52] On 14 December, Southampton and Stoke City drew 0–0 at the bet365 Stadium.[53] The hosts were reduced to ten men early on when Marko Arnautović was sent off for a high-footed challenge, but the visitors failed to take advantage and break the deadlock.[53] Jay Rodriguez came closest to score, but missed from close range, while a shot from James Ward-Prowse was cleared off the line later on.[53]

On 18 December, Southampton travelled to face local rivals Bournemouth, coming from a goal behind to win 3–1 and move up to seventh in the Premier League table.[54] Nathan Aké opened the scoring for the Cherries within six minutes, but Ryan Bertrand scored less than ten minutes later to bring the Saints level.[54] Both sides enjoyed numerous chances to go a goal up, but it was the visitors who scored again shortly after the break, when Jay Rodriguez tapped in a chance set up by substitute Steven Davis.[54] Southampton dominated the rest of the game, and Rodriguez scored his second of the match to seal the win late on.[54] In their first game after Christmas, Southampton lost 4–1 to Tottenham Hotspur on 28 December.[55] The home side opened the scoring quickly in the second minute when Virgil van Dijk headed in a free kick from James Ward-Prowse, but it was the visitors who scored next as Delle Alli scored a header from Moussa Sissoko's deflected cross.[55] After dominating much of the rest of the first half, Spurs went ahead shortly after the break through Harry Kane, who missed a penalty a few minutes later when Alli was fouled by Nathan Redmond, who was sent off.[55] Son Heung-min scored a third for Tottenham late on, before Alli scored his second of the game to make it four.[55] On the final day of the year, Southampton lost at home again to West Bromwich Albion, who won 2–1.[56] After enjoying the majority of possession in the first half, the hosts went one up through Shane Long just before half-time, although the lead was short-lived as Matt Phillips equalised just a minute later.[56] Shortly after the break, Hal Robson-Kanu scored a second for West Brom, which was enough to secure the win as the Saints failed to equalise late on.[56] Virgil van Dijk was sent off late on for a second bookable offence.[56]

James Ward-Prowse was the first player to score for Southampton in the league in 2017, against Leicester City.

On 2 January 2017, in their third game in six days, Southampton travelled to Goodison Park to face Everton, losing the match 3–0.[57] After much of the game lacked clear chances on goal, the home side opened the scoring after 73 minutes when Enner Valencia scored his first goal for the club.[57] Leighton Baines scored a penalty following a foul by Maya Yoshida on Valencia less than ten minutes later, before Romelu Lukaku made it three before the end of the match.[57] The loss saw the Saints drop to tenth in the table.[57] Southampton lost their fourth league game in a row on 14 January, after they were beaten 1–0 away to Burnley.[58] The visitors came closest to opening the scoring in the first half through Dušan Tadić, whose shot was cleared off the line, and also enjoyed the majority of chances in the second period.[58] However, it was the hosts who scored the only goal of the game through substitute Joey Barton, who scored a free kick in the 78th minute to send the Saints down to 13th in the league table.[58]

Southampton won their first Premier League game in over a month on 22 January, beating league champions Leicester City 3–0 at home.[59] James Ward-Prowse opened the scoring in the 26th minute with a first-time shot after a Cédric Soares cross from the right wing.[59] The hosts continued to dominate, culminating in a second goal in the first half courtesy of Jay Rodriguez, who converted a free-kick from Ward-Prowse.[59] Leicester enjoyed a number of chances to get back into the game later on, with Wes Morgan coming closest to scoring for the visitors, but Southampton continued to attack as an own goal by Morgan was later disallowed as Maya Yoshida was offside.[59] Morgan was involved again as he brought down Shane Long in the box in the 85th minute, with Dušan Tadić scoring the resulting penalty kick to win the game 3–0.[59] Southampton lost 2–1 to Swansea City the following week, dropping a place in the table as a result.[60] After a relatively slow start, Swansea opened the scoring through Alfie Mawson in the 38th minute, going into half-time with the advantage.[60] The Saints increased the pressure after the break, with Shane Long equalising after 57 minutes against the run of play, although Gylfi Sigurðsson scored a second for the hosts later on.[60]

On 4 February 2017, Southampton hosted West Ham United and lost 3–1 to drop back to 13th in the league table.[61] New signing Manolo Gabbiadini opened the scoring on his debut after 12 minutes, but the visitors equalised just two minutes later through Andy Carroll.[61] Pedro Obiang scored a long-range effort just before the break, and later on Mark Noble made it three for the Hammers.[61] The following week, Southampton picked up their biggest win of the season when they beat bottom-placed Sunderland 4–0.[62] After a relatively even opening to the game, Gabbiadini opened the scoring for the Saints after half an hour with his second goal in his second game, converting a cross from Ryan Bertrand.[62] On the stroke of half-time the recent signing doubled the visitors' lead with his third goal in two games.[62] Shortly before full-time it was 3–0 thanks to an own goal from Jason Denayer, and in injury time Shane Long made it four to take Southampton up to 11th in the table.[62] Wahbi Khazri scored a consolation before the end, but it was disallowed for handball.[62]

In their first game after the 2017 EFL Cup Final, Southampton went ahead of Watford in the table when they beat the side 4–3 at Vicarage Road on 4 March 2017.[63] The hosts went ahead within four minutes through captain Troy Deeney, but the Saints responded and equalised 24 minutes later through Dušan Tadić following some poor defending.[63] Nathan Redmond put the visitors ahead on the stroke of half-time, after Tadić and James Ward-Prowse worked the opportunity.[63] Southampton pushed for a third into the second half, with Manolo Gabbiadini coming closest to scoring, but the Hornets equalised through Stefano Okaka on 79 minutes.[63] Gabbiadini scored his sixth goal for the Saints just four minutes later and Redmond scored a fourth for Southampton, with Abdoulaye Doucouré scoring a third for Watford in stoppage time.[63] On 19 March, Southampton lost 2–1 at Tottenham Hotspur.[64] Christian Eriksen opened the scoring within 15 minutes from the edge of the penalty area, before Dele Alli doubled the home side's lead with a 33rd-minute penalty awarded for a foul by Steven Davis.[64] Dušan Tadić missed a close-range chance on goal before the break, before James Ward-Prowse scored just after half-time to bring the Saints back into the game.[64] Spurs held off further Saints attacks for the 2–1 win.[64]

Nathan Redmond equalled the injured Charlie Austin's league goal tally in April, later surpassing it in May.

In their first home game in almost two months, Southampton were held to a goalless draw by local rivals Bournemouth.[65] The hosts enjoyed the majority of possession early on, with a goal from Jay Rodriguez being disallowed due to offside.[65] The Cherries responded later in the first half, with former Saints player Andrew Surman seeing an effort cleared off the line by Steven Davis 12 minutes before the break.[65] The second half started off slow, before both sides began pressuring the goals, with Bournemouth coming close to breaking the deadlock multiple times.[65] In the 77th minute the visitors were awarded a penalty, although it was sent high over the crossbar by Harry Arter.[65] Later in the week, the Saints hosted Crystal Palace and won the game 3–1.[66] Both sides created chances on goal early in the game, but it was the visitors who struck first through Christian Benteke in the 31st minute.[66] Nathan Redmond equalised on the stroke of half-time.[66] The hosts enjoyed the majority of the pressure after the break, and after a number of close calls Maya Yoshida scored his first league goal of the season to put the Saints in front.[66] James Ward-Prowse scored just a minute later, as Southampton dominated Palace and saw out the game to move into the top half of the table.[66] Southampton beat West Bromwich Albion three days later, closing the gap between the two sides to four points (with the Saints still having two games in hand).[67] Jordy Clasie scored the only goal of the game in the 25th minute, striking his first Premier League goal from the edge of the penalty area.[67] The Baggies came close to equalising at various points throughout the game, with goalkeeper Fraser Forster making a number of saves to deny the hosts and defend the win.[67]

The following week, the Saints lost 3–0 to Manchester City at home.[68] After a goalless first half, the visitors opened the scoring ten minutes after the half-time break when Vincent Kompany headed in a corner from David Silva.[68] City continued to enjoy the majority of possession and chances on goal, with Leroy Sané doubling their lead in the 77th minute, before Sergio Agüero scored a third three minutes later to secure the win.[68] Southampton managed just one chance on target in the whole game – a Maya Yoshida header in the second half.[68] The club lost again the following week to league leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, who beat the Saints 4–2.[69] Eden Hazard opened the scoring for the hosts within five minutes, before Oriol Romeu scored his first goal of the season to bring Southampton level.[69] Gary Cahill scored on the stroke of half-time, before Diego Costa doubled Chelsea's lead ten minutes after the break.[69] Costa scored again in the penultimate minute of normal time, before Ryan Bertrand scored a second consolation for the visitors just before the end of the game.[69] The club were held to a goalless draw against Hull City later in the week.[70] The game saw very few chances for either side, with only three shots on target in the 90 minutes.[70] Kamil Grosicki almost scored for the visitors early on with a sixth-minute free kick that hit the post, while Southampton's closest effort came in stoppage time at the end of the game, when Dušan Tadić saw a penalty saved by Eldin Jakupović to keep the Tigers fighting for Premier League safety.[70]

On 7 May, Southampton faced Liverpool at Anfield in a game which ended as a goalless draw.[71] The game featured very few chances on goal for either side, with the Saints failing to manage a shot on target the entire 90 minutes.[71] The best chance of the game came for the home side in the second half, when a handball by Jack Stephens resulted in a penalty; however, James Milner's spot kick was saved by Fraser Forster and the scores remained level.[71] Marko Grujić almost scored with a header late on, but it remained goalless.[71] Three days later the club hosted Arsenal and lost 2–0 to the Gunners.[72] After a first half with very few chances for either side, the visitors opened the scoring after 60 minutes when Alexis Sánchez beat two defenders to score his 20th league goal of the season.[72] 23 minutes later, after being on as a substitute for just three minutes, Olivier Giroud headed in the second, securing Arsenal's ascent to fifth in the table.[72] On 13 May, Southampton played their final away game of the season against relegated Middlesbrough, winning 2–1 to move up to ninth in the table.[73] With a markedly changed lineup (including the debut of centre-back Martín Cáceres), the Saints started the game slowly, but opened the scoring through Jay Rodriguez shortly before half-time.[73] After coming on at the start of the second half, Nathan Redmond doubled the lead for the visitors in the 57th minute.[73] Shane Long missed a penalty less than ten minutes later, before Patrick Bamford scored a consolation for Boro later on.[73] On 17 May, the club drew 0–0 with Manchester United and moved up to eighth in the table.[74] The Saints were awarded a penalty within the opening five minutes for a handball by Eric Bailly; the penalty was taken by Manolo Gabbiadini but saved by Sergio Romero.[74] Bailly forced a save out of Fraser Forster later in the half, and in the second half Anthony Martial hit the post.[74]

On the final day of the season, Southampton hosted Stoke City who beat the Saints by a single goal.[75] Nathan Redmond gave the hosts their best chance of the game when he hit the bar at the end of the first half, before former Southampton striker Peter Crouch scored the only goal of the game on the hour mark.[75] The home side had a number of chances to equalise in the second half through Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse and Sofiane Boufal, but goalkeeper Jack Butland made a number of saves to deny them.[75] Due to Bournemouth losing and West Bromwich Albion drawing, Southampton remained eighth in the Premier League table.