Hull City boss Liam Rosenoir said he would have celebrated just as much as Southampton did if his side were the ones to score a late winner on Saturday.
Saints substitute Ryan Fraser came off the bench to snatch all three points at the MKM Stadium over the weekend, firing home with a half-volley following Flynn Downes’ cross in the 95th minute.
Will Smallbone had given Russell Martin’s side the lead during the first half only for Liam Delap to level the game five minutes later. The match looked to be heading for a draw but Fraser’s goal sparked joyous scenes from the Southampton players, supporters and bench, with Rosenoir asked if the reaction was over the top afterwards.
“They should do, they’ve won the game in the last minute,” he told reporters. “I would do the same. Fair play, it means a lot when you win games. We love this game because we want to win.
“Fair play to Russell, I think he is a very good coach. He has got very good players and credit to them for scoring in the last minute. We have to take that pain and swallow it to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
“They should do, they’ve won the game in the last minute,” he told reporters. “I would do the same. Fair play, it means a lot when you win games. We love this game because we want to win.
“Fair play to Russell, I think he is a very good coach. He has got very good players and credit to them for scoring in the last minute. We have to take that pain and swallow it to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
He continued: “When two teams play the way that we do, the energy levels you need to stop each other are so high. I have to praise Jean Michael Seri, who got back (from international duty) yesterday. I had to keep him on for 90 minutes because he gave us so much energy.
Victory for Southampton has seen them climb to fifth in the Championship table, with Martin’s side now unbeaten in their last four matches stretching back to September’s 3-1 home win over Leeds United.
They now face another trip north to face Preston North End on Wednesday evening. The Lilywhites sit one place above Saints in the table but are currently winless in five matches, suffering heavy defeats to West Brom (0-4), Leicester City (3-0) and Ipswich Town (4-2) during that run.
This Saturday sees a return to St Mary’s meanwhile, with Wayne Rooney bringing his Birmingham City side down to the south coast for a lunchtime kick-off.
