Mauricio Pochettino was able to afford himself a smile as he surveyed an inspired substitution which effectively secured Saints’ Premier League survival.
With his team trailing 1-0 to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light, Pochettino threw on James Ward-Prowse and Jason Puncheon midway through the second half.
Just over three minutes later the pair combined to score a goal that means Saints are all but safe.
“When you make a substitution you always want to it to have an impact,” reflected a happy Pochettino.
“The two substitutions that I made had an immediate impact with Ward-Prowse making the goal and Puncheon scoring the goal.”
The point was a massive result for Saints, but in a game where they played a Sunderland side that were insipid in attack they somehow found themselves behind on 68 minutes and chasing a point in a match that was there for the taking.
“I think overall we had a very good game,” said Pochettino.
“We carried the weight of the game, dominated during long phases and created the best chances as well.
“I think it would have been quite unfair to leave this stadium losing.
“In the last few games we have played similarly but haven’t been able to convert that into goals.
“That goes to show the experience my players had in this first season in the Premier League was good.
“You have to be mentally and physically prepared, especially the last ten games when they are really tough.”
Pochettino was though happy with the general performance of his players and said that the manner of their display against Sunderland was something of a blueprint for the way ahead under his management.
“I think the way we played is the path we want to be on and how we want to play in the future,” he said.
“It’s clear that we need to be a lot more clinical in front of goal and incisive facing the rival’s goal and that’s what we need to work on.”
