Claude Puel described Southampton's win over West Brom as "taking revenge" after his Saints side saw off the Baggies with a 1-0 win at the Hawthorns.
Having suffered a rare home defeat to Tony Pulis' men on New Year's Eve, Puel wanted his side to set the record straight, something they did thanks to Jordy Clasie's 25th minute strike.
Southampton would hold on for victory, taking them ever closer to eighth placed West Brom, who they will leapfrog if they win their games in hand.
Revenge mission accomplished
"It was important because we lost our first game against West Brom, it was important to take revenge," said Puel.
"It's a fantastic result as we try to come back against this team in the table, in the future it will be seen as an important three points."
City [Manchester] will be a big challenge, we'll see if we can keep the confidence from this game."
Although Southampton enjoyed comfortable spells for the majority of the game, they almost had the points snatched away from them at the death as Fraser Forster was forced into some stunning saves during the dying minutes.
On his goalkeeper, he said that it was "fantastic for Fraser to finish with a clean-sheet" after the onslaught he faced.
Quality first, character second
Puel was pleased with his team for different reasons, saying that they showed "quality" in the first-half and "character" in the second in order to come away with a win.
"It's very difficult to play against West Brom dealing with the direct play, long ball, free-kicks.
"We know they have this quality so to resist and take three points is fantastic, I'm happy."
Puel praised Clasie's "very good technique" for the only goal, but urged his player to improve, saying "Only the second goal of the season, I think he can do better in these situations."
There was praised too for Pierre Emile Hojbjerg who gave what was hailed as "a very important performance for the team," whilst the latest update on Steven Davis' injury was the Frenchman saying "I hope we can have him recovered before the end of the season."