Southampton continued their impressive form by beating Swansea City to record their sixth consecutive game without conceding a goal.
Shane Long’s 69th minute finish was the difference in a match which saw the Saints produce another organised display.
In a game that was not full of chances, particularly in the early stages, it was left to Long to snatch all three points for Southampton as he headed past Lukasz Fabianski in the Swansea goal. The Polish 'keeper will feel he could have done better, as he failed to stop the Irishman from converting.
The Swans were not without their chances at the Liberty Stadium, as efforts from Andre Ayew and Gylfi Sigurdsson tested Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster. However the 27-year-old, who has impressed since returning from long term injury, could not be beaten.
In Ronald Koeman’s post-match interview the Dutchman said: “The key is having good organisation and I mention always defending starts in front.”
He continued: “It was a difficult game. I thought Swansea were strong today, full of belief for a good result but it’s not easy to beat Southampton.”
Highest Premier League finish?
With Manchester United and West Ham dropping points the Saints are now just one point behind fifth place United after overtaking the Hammers, who now drop to seventh.
Koeman’s side are currently on track for their highest Premier League finish after going on an excellent run of form since the turn of the year.
On pushing for a strong finish to the season Koeman said: “We showed a lot last season to finish seventh and our ambition is to always do better than last year."
He says the squad "know it will be difficult [to reach the top six]", but also added "everything is going well, the players are full of confidence and belief".
Southampton are without a game next weekend as they have already been knocked out of the FA Cup, therefore they have an extra week to prepare to face Chelsea the following weekend at St Mary’s.