Koeman Expects Last Day Drama in Battle for Europe
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman believes the battle to finish fifth in the Premier League will go to the final day of the season.
Koeman conceded defeat in his side's efforts to break into the top four after the recent defeat against Everton, but Saints' 2-0 home win over relegation-threatened Hull on Saturday moved them up to fifth, two points above Liverpool and Tottenham in the battle for a berth in next season's Europa League.
Liverpool will have the opportunity to leap-frog Southampton when they face Newcastle on Monday, but Koeman insists the three-way contest will go all the way to the wire.
"It will be a fight between Liverpool, Tottenham and Southampton," he said.
"It was a surprising result to see Tottenham lose to Aston Villa today. We know it's difficult to finish above these two teams but after this win we are closer to our target for the end of season."
Koeman's team secured their comfortable win through a James Ward-Prowse penalty and Graziano Pelle's late strike.
It was Italy forward Pelle's first Premier League goal in 15 games and Koeman hopes he can go on a scoring run during the final weeks of the season.
"We do everything to give the players the confidence. He had a good chance in the first half, then he took the second and scored the goal," Koeman said.
"It was an important moment in the game. It killed the game and was important for the confidence of the player."
Koeman admitted he was relieved to see Pelle score after he resisted the urge to axe his out-of-form star and play Shane Long as a central striker instead.
"Sometimes you need to give the player the confidence and give them the chance to score," Koeman said.
"He is very lucky, I'm lucky, there was a lot of pressure for the player and he scored today."
Koeman also revealed he was forced to intervene when Senegal winger Sadio Mane attempted to take the penalty ahead of Ward-Prowse, the nominated taker.
"James and Dusan Tadic are first and second choice to take the penalty. I had to shout to Jose (Fonte, the captain) to stop Mane taking it," he said.
"It looked like Mane was about to take it. It was a difficult situation. I was surprised James accepted it.
"There was a problem with Mane but rules in the team are more important than anything else."
Hull manager Steve Bruce was convinced Pelle should not have been on the pitch to score after a 33rd minute incident when the forward caught Alex Bruce, the Tigers defender and manager's son, with his arm.
"We're incensed. Look at Pelle's forearm in the video. The referee gave a yellow. But I had conversation with the referee who said he's seen hand in the air," Bruce said.
"If he's seen a forearm smash in Alex's face you do wonder. Sometimes you need a break like that - not a broken nose but a break."
Bruce opted to drop regular goalkeeper Allan McGregor in favor of 40-year-old deputy Steve Harper and the manager said: "I made the decision to leave him out which is never easy but that's what I get paid for.
"He accepted it and Harper, who has played for us a lot, has come in and done as well as I'd expect."
Bruce's side sit one place above the bottom three, but the former Manchester United star insists they can survive despite a tough run-in.
"I believe we can stay up. If I don't stay upbeat everyone else will be doom and gloom," Bruce said.
"It's a long two weeks until the next game at Crystal Palace and we could do without that. But hopefully Palace will go on their holidays after winning at Sunderland."
Source: Agence France Presse
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