Southampton vs Crystal Palace match report: Saints clinch Europa League qualification with win

Southampton 4 Crystal Palace 1

Ronald Koeman celebrates with his players as Southampton beat Crystal Palace (Getty)

The Europa League may have its critics, but qualifying for it remains a coveted achievement and the celebrations at the final whistle here reflected as much. Southampton's impressive victory over Crystal Palace and West Ham's defeat at Stoke guaranteed Saints a second successive season of Thursday evenings in Europe.

Ronald Koeman hinted that he will still be there to lead them despite reports that he is interested in the vacancy at Everton. He expects to honour his contract and anything beyond that is up to the club. “I will speak to them next week,” Koeman said. “I have one more year of contract. If the club wants to talk about the future after next year, okay. That doesn't depend on European football, it depends on the ambition of the club.”

Saints finished their campaign in fifth place, which would be good enough to give them a bye to the Europa League group stages, and although they may drop to sixth after Manchester United play their rescheduled match at home to Bournemouth, Koeman was delighted with his players.

“Last season was special but this season was even more special. We had a difficult time in January and everyone was worried it was a season to fight against relegation. But we turned it round thanks to the players.”

Will there be more turnover of players this summer, as has become the norm at St Mary's? “Of course you want to keep everybody but it will be difficult. We need to be prepared to lose some players but it's all about who we need to sign to keep the strength in the team.”

Palace had the first chance after 17 minutes when Dwight Gayle stung the palms of Fraser Forster with a snap shot. But the home side gradually began to assert themselves and Dusan Tadic, Sadio Mane and Shane Long all went close before they took the lead two minutes before the interval. Julian Speroni, equalling the club record for appearances by a goalkeeper (388), could only punch the ball out to Mane, who chipped it back over him into the empty net.

Gayle might have equalised immediately but shot too close to Forster and substitute Sulley Kaikai allowed Forster to save on the hour when he scuffed his half-volley into the ground, and Palace's best chance to take a point was gone. Saints went straight to the other end where Pelle - pushing Adrian Mariappa out of the way unnoticed by Micahel Oliver, the referee - met Cuco Martina's cross with a header that looped over Speroni and in.

Palace pulled a goal back after 64 minutes when former Saint Jason Puncheon sent a hard left-foot shot through a crowd and past the right hand of Forster after 64 minutes. But that did not dampen the mood of the crowd, who had learned of Stoke's leveller against West Ham, and they were happier still after 75 minutes when Ryan Bertrand scored his first goal of the season from the penalty spot after Mane was felled on his way into the area by a combination of Mariappa and Pape Souare. Steven Davis, the unsung hero of the Southampton side, scored a well-deserved fourth after Pelle had chested down a cross from the right.

“Crystal Palace made it very difficult for us but we were very clinical and we did our job, which was the message to the players,” Koeman said. “And West Ham, Liverpool and maybe Manchester United missed a chance.”

Palace were due to travel back to South London on a special train hauled by a steam locomotive owned by club co-owner Jeremy Hosking but manager Alan Pardew denied that his team had run out of puff.

“The result didn't really reflect the match,” he said. “I'm not suggesting we deserved to win but I was disappointed with the refereeing. The Pelle goal was a definite push and the penalty was outside the box. The game was really balanced at 2-1. We have a few injuries but they usually clear up in Cup Final week, I find.”

Southampton (4-2-3-1): Forster; Martina, Fonte, Van Dijk, Bertrand; Wanyama, Romeu (Pelle ht); Mane, Davis, Tadic (Ward-Prowse 71); Long (Austin 83).

Crystal Palace (4-4-1-1): Speroni; Ward (Kelly 82), Mariappa, Delaney, Souare; Puncheon, Jedinak, McArthur (Lee 78), Mutch (Kaikai ht); Adebayor, Gayle.

Referee: M Oliver.

Star man: Mane

Match rating: 7/10