Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl was overjoyed with Southampton’s win over Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday afternoon.  

Two second half goals from Yan Valery and James Ward-Prowse earned the Saints the three points, with Hasenhuttl describing it as ‘the best second half’ he had seen since his arrival on the south coast.  

The substitutions made at half time were a big incentive for the hosts to get the win, as the introduction of Shane Long and Josh Sims changed the format of the game. 

"The good thing was we were only one [goal] down, which gave us a chance to change a few things and to force a bit of nerves on Tottenham and get them out of their comfort zone as they were amazing in the first half. We had more pressure and made more chances when Sims and Long came on.” 

Sims impresses

21-year-old Sims was a star performer today for Southampton, a player that Hasenhuttl was particularly impressed with.  

“Last week Sims trained really well, and I thought that I couldn’t really grip how strong he is, which is the reason why I wanted to see him in the Premier League. It wasn’t an easy job for him to come in against Tottenham, but he has good feel on the ball, and good awareness of counter attacks.” 

Relegation battle

Despite conceding a late goal at Old Trafford last week, Hasenhuttl’s side performed strongly as they did today. At full time the manager went onto the pitch to share a team huddle with his spirited side to the delight of St Mary’s. 

 “We lost against United 3-2 after a sensational game, I said to them we want to earn points, they showed my belief in what they’re doing, the crowd felt that there was a team on the pitch that were fighting for every ball and every goal. We still have a long way to go but it helps a lot when you have three weeks to rest.” 

With three points firmly under their belt, the Saints now have a three week break before they head to Brighton. 

“It’s better to go into the three weeks with the win, the last break we had we were in the relegation zone. We have the chance to hopefully bring Ings back on the pitch, we will use the time for good work.”