Southampton made it five wins from eight games as they dispatched another top-six side in Tottenham on Wednesday, and Ralph Hasenhuttl was full of praise for his players.

What did he say?

It has been a difficult journey for Saints this season but they seem to have put their terrible form and relegation worries behind them this month, and Hasenhuttl is rightly proud of the progress that has been made.

They ground out a narrow win against Spurs thanks to some top performances, with goalscorer Danny Ings, James Ward-Prowse and Jack Stephens all receiving WhoScored ratings of 7.6 or above.

It has been some turnaround and one which many probably didn't see coming, particularly after the 9-0 defeat to Leicester. Hasenhuttl deserves tremendous credit, but he has pinpointed his players as those who deserve the plaudits.

Speaking post-match to the BBC, he said:

"I must praise the team for this unbelievable character, mentality, passion we showed today.

"Fantastic job, this [clean sheet] is only possible when you defend with the discipline that we did do today and a big congratulations to everybody in the team, from the first pressing line to the last line everyone is very committed at the moment and very brave.

"I think if you're brave you deserve to get something and today we got a lot."

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Safety on the horizon

The Austrian boss has faced significant pressure this season with Chris Coleman linked to the Saints job at one point, but he has put his distractions behind him to lead the Saints to the security of mid-table.

That position seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago but huge wins at Aston Villa and Chelsea mean that the relegation fight could soon be a distant memory.

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If Southampton pick up more wins over throughout January and February they'll be within the territory of the all-important 40-point mark, being currently on 25, and players like Michael Obafemi and Che Adams could be granted more opportunities to build on their strong performances against Chelsea on Boxing Day.

If the manager is given a chance to add players in January that will only enhance their prospects, though keeping hold of Danny Ings and James Ward-Prowse should be their most important aim at this time.

Fans were full of praise for the contribution of Ings against Spurs, who scored a fantastic goal to secure all three points.