Hasenhüttl: We had another gear
Moving four unbeaten in the Premier League, Ralph Hasenhüttl praised his side’s ability to find another gear in the 2-0 victory over Everton at St Mary’s on Saturday.
Goalless despite a dominant opening 45 minutes, the deadlock was broken six minutes after the restart when Stuart Armstrong slammed home from 18 yards.
Comfortably holding the Toffees at arm’s length, the victory was ensured late on when substitute Shane Long scored with his first touch to continue the hosts’ impressive run of form.
Sitting in 10th position, Hasenhüttl reflected on a deserved three points.
“I’m very happy,” he said. “We had a tough start today against a very aggressive and energetic opponent.
“We played against the wind in the first half and it was harder to come out, but the longer the game was going the more dominant we have been.
“In half time we spoke about the few situations where we could do it better and in the end you could feel there was quality and we had the chance in the second half to show we had another gear.
“They went very long but then in the end you could feel we had more to give, another step to do and this was good to see.”
Building on last week’s successful trips to Tottenham and Manchester United, the Saints boss was quick to credit the players for recent form.
“You can feel that the guys have created something here. They've created a fantastic team to watch and this is their hard work. They have put it in all the time."
