Two goal hero Saha going nowhere, insists Coleman

Fulham 2 Southampton 0

Saha is a £7million target for the champions and he buried the Saints with a clinical display of finishing which could tempt United to renew their advances next month.

But Fulham boss Coleman remains adamant his side will not be robbed of their 12-goal striker during the January sales, despite the Frenchman admitting it would be “a dream” to play at Old Trafford.

He said: “It’s not a tricky situation at all. He’s not for sale and that’s the end of it. It may be a dream to play for them but not in January.

“He’s flattered because of Manchester United’s interest in him but he’s got two and a half years left on his contract and that’s that. He will be staying here at least until the end of the season.

“Even if you don’t know about football and you’ve come to watch your first match you would see that he’s got everything.

“He’s good in the air, has two good feet, and I think he would agree he’s playing the best football of his life. He’s stayed clear of injuries this season which has been his problem in the past.

“He was under pressure because he took the First Division by storm when he first came here and he didn’t quite perform in the Premiership, but any striker playing with confidence is a force to be reckoned with.”

Saha struck his first in the 19th minute with a sweet left-foot finish into the bottom corner from his first real chance after talented foil Steed Malbranque had slipped him in.

His second came from the penalty spot after Chris Marsden tripped Luis Boa Morte, but the former French U-21 forward could have had a hat-tick if a late free-kick had not drifted inches wide of the upright.

His goals ensured Fulham leapfrogged their opponents to stay in contention for a Champions League place, and the £2.1million Fulham paid Metz for him three years ago now looks like a bargain.

Beaten Saints boss Gordon Strachan admitted Saha’s electric performance had been the difference between the two sides.

But he complained that Southampton had allowed him to play by inexplicably giving the ball away throughout the match.

He said: “I was surprised by my team’s performance. Today we were beaten by a far better side. Their quality was far better than ours.

“Saha was one of their chiefs. You kill off the chiefs and the indians will follow, but we didn’t do it. They killed off our chiefs and our indians followed after that.

“The secret of the game is being able to pass the ball 10 yards. Good players find that easy but average ones find that hard. We were average in passing the ball 10 yards. I don’t often say that about us.

“The magic formula for any side is to pass the ball well. It’s hard to keep up any momentum when you keep giving the ball away.

“I counted 15 times when we gave the ball away in the middle of the park. When you do that you have to defend. It’s lucky Christmas was yesterday and not tomorrow.”

FULHAM: Van der Sar, Volz, Knight, Goma, Bonnissel (Harley 23), Inamoto, Clark, Boa Morte, Malbranque, Djetou, Saha.

SOUTHAMPTON: Niemi, Dodd, Lundekvam, Michael Svensson, Higginbotham, Marsden, McCann (Delgado 73), Prutton, Telfer, Beattie, Ormerod (Phillips 51).

Referee: D Gallagher (Oxfordshire).