Southampton capped an excellent festive period with a 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on New Year’s Day.
Danny Ings netted in the first half to help Saints up to 12th place on the Premier League table, with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men currently in a rich vein of form.
Having previously been in dire trouble following a stretch of underwhelming results – the 9-0 home loss to Leicester City was notably concerning – Saints are climbing up the division once again.
Hasenhuttl has seen his side defeat Chelsea and Spurs since Christmas, with a 1-1 home draw to Crystal Palace sandwiching the two impressive scalps.
Southampton are among the most in-form teams in the Premier League right now, and WhoScored have revealed that in the space of 34 days, equating to the eight most-recent gameweeks, only table-topping Liverpool have amassed more points.
Twitter: Eight Premier League gameweeks in the space of 34 days are about to come to a close and only Liverpool have picked… https://t.co/8I55srWTqz (@WhoScored)
Read Southampton’s verdict
Few could have predicted such a turnaround for Saints, but the club are reaping the rewards for their show of faith in the boss.
Hasenhuttl’s job seemed to be on the line after the tough run in October and November. However, the form over Christmas has been largely exemplary, with the exception of disappointing defeats to Newcastle United and West Ham United.
The performance against Chelsea on Boxing Day was arguably the team’s best to date under the manager. Meanwhile, just days later, the win over Spurs was perhaps the most pleasing of the campaign so far.
Settled sides, synergies across the pitch and a collectively positive atmosphere are steering Saints towards a more comfortable season than what had been initially feared.
Southampton now find themselves looking up the table with cautious optimism, rather than nervously over their shoulder at the threat of the drop…
