Southampton 1-3 West Ham United

Steven Davis deflected Mark Noble's free-kick into his own net for West Ham's third goal on a miserable day for Southampton

West Ham came from behind to beat Southampton and move into the top half of the Premier League.

The Saints took an early lead when Manolo Gabbiadini blasted in an opener on his debut after a £14m move from Napoli on transfer deadline day.

But Andy Carroll equalised when he finished after a fine pass from Pedro Obiang, who then put the Hammers ahead with a 30-yard low effort.

West Ham grabbed a third as Mark Noble's free-kick deflected in off Saints midfielder Steven Davis.

• Relive West Ham's win over Southampton as it happened

• Reaction from Saturday's Premier League matches

Gabbiadini's dream start, but it ends in disappointment

What a way to introduce yourself to your new club as Italy international Gabbiadini only needed 12 minutes to open his goalscoring account after his move from Serie A.

It came when he collected Jay Rodriguez's lofted ball over a high West Ham defence and the 25-year-old timed his run perfectly to beat the Hammers offside trap.

He then ran into the penalty area and blasted the ball from a tight angle past Darren Randolph.

However, Gabbiadini should have done better later on when he shot over the bar after Cheikhou Kouyate's misjudged header had gifted the Italian a chance.

With club record signing Sofiane Boufal limping off in the second half with a foot injury, Gabbiadini will need to show his best form if the Saints are to stay away from the relegation zone.

But Saints fans may be getting nervous. They are now only seven points above the bottom three, with six defeats in their last seven league games, and they were not good enough against West Ham.

Southampton's Manolo Gabbiadini had six attempts at goal and scored with his only shot on target

Southampton's defensive problems continue

What is the reason for Southampton's slump? Well, they are defending badly and have now conceded 10 goals in their last three matches in all competitions.

Their former captain Jose Fonte looked assured in the West Ham defence after his £8m move in January and with influential defender Virgil van Dijk out for up to three months with an ankle injury, the Saints look short of options at the back.

They provided little resistance as West Ham, who moved up to ninth in the table, equalised within two minutes of conceding the opener.

The Saints backline were caught square and Obiang was allowed to slot a pass through to Carroll, who then registered his fourth goal in as many games.

Just before the break, Obiang was given time and space to drill in a low shot from 30 yards out, which went through a crowded penalty area and goalkeeper Fraser Forster could not react in time.

If the first two West Ham goals came from poor Southampton defending, the third was down to bad luck. Noble's free-kick was on target and heading straight at Forster before Davis' swipe at the ball steered it into his own net.

Southampton did force Hammers goalkeeper Darren Randolph into a number of routine saves late in the second half, but it made no difference to the result.

The graphic shows that West Ham's first goal came from a routine 20-yard ball from Pedro Obiang through the middle of the Southampton defence, which Andy Carroll collected and then scored from

Rare St Mary's win for West Ham - the stats

• Manolo Gabbiadini's first Premier League goal was also the 400th goal netted by an Italian player in the competition (excluding own goals).

• Andy Carroll has scored four goals in his last four Premier League appearances, the same total he had scored in his previous 14 before this run.

• After conceding just five goals in their first eight home Premier League games under Claude Puel, Saints have shipped nine in their last four.

• This was West Ham's first away victory at Southampton since November 2000. They had drawn four and lost three of the previous seven matches.

• The Saints have lost three home Premier League games from leading positions this season - no side has lost more.

Man of the match - Pedro Obiang (West Ham)

Pedro Obiang scored one and made one in West Ham's 3-1 win. His goal was his first for the club

Bilic on a 'crazy league' & Fonte's mixed emotions - what they said

Southampton manager Claude Puel said: "We started well - a fantastic goal from Gabbiadini - but after that we made mistakes and it was difficult.

"In the second half we had many chances but without the possibility to come back. We have the quality to play, to score, now we need to keep a clean sheet. We have to correct this and find a clean sheet and find confidence about the situation."

On Italian striker Manolo Gabbiadini, who scored on his debut, Puel added: "I'm happy with his first game. We saw a great player for the future. He is technical, gives solutions, sees the game and is a very interesting player."

On their defensive problems, the Frenchman said: "It is important to give confidence to the squad about the defensive chances. We can't replace the best defender (the injured Virgil Van Dijk) in the Premier League."

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic: "The guys were fantastic, we had a gameplan and they executed it in the best way. We were solid behind the ball, we kept the ball, attacked well and it was a great team performance.

"We have a team that is working hard for each other. We have a brilliant atmosphere in the dressing room, not because Payet left, but because we have won six of nine. It is a crazy league and there are 42 points to play for. There are crazy results and that is why we have to keep playing as we are."

On Andy Carroll, who scored his fourth goal in four games, Bilic added: "He is a matured man. He is happy, stable, has got three kids. The key is that and the number of training sessions. The best prevention of injuries is training."

West Ham's Jose Fonte, who handed in a transfer request at Southampton before joining the London club, said: "The move is still fresh and only a couple of weeks ago I was still a Southampton player.

"No doubt it was tough, but the main thing was to stay focused on the game and do my job the best I could.

"It was almost eight seasons so it was tough but with the help of my team-mates and West Ham supporters the most important thing was achieving what we got - the three points.

"I always gave my best for Southampton - my sweat and blood - so my conscience is clear. The past was good but now I look forward to the new challenge ahead of me."

What's next?

Southampton play away at the Premier League's bottom team, Sunderland, on Saturday, 11 February (15:00 GMT), while West Ham host West Brom at the same time.