Southampton 1-0 Crystal Palace: Koeman hails "key" win

• Southampton 1-0 Crystal Palace - in pictures >>

Sadio Mane finally brought an end to the Saints goal drought as he scored the only goal of the game with seven minutes remaining at St Mary’s.

The result lifted Saints up to fifth place and keeps them well in the hunt for a European place.

Koeman was not downplaying the importance of the result.

He said: “I think it can be very important.

“I think this win maybe is one of the key moments of the season.

“We know we like to fight for a high position on the table but if you don’t win three games in a row at home and you score once in five games it’s all about confidence, all about a mental question for the players and it’s not easy to change that.

“If you win then it will help.”

After a recent downbeat mood there is now real optimism again, with the chance of Champions League football seemingly back on the table as the club head into the final ten games of the season.

“We know it will be very difficult (qualifying for the Champions League), we know,” reflected Koeman.

“We try to do everything to finish in the highest position in the table.

“I think and I hope that we will have the confidence back after this win and then everything is possible.

“We played out of a good organisation, we don’t receive a lot of goals, we are a little bit more struggling in scoring but we really will get back the confidence in our attacking way in the team then everything is possible.”

Saints are going to be feared by the clubs around them heading into the final stretch, with a relatively kind fixture list and virtually a fully fit squad.

“That kind of teams, the big teams, has experience,” admitted Koeman.

“I have that experience but the players don’t have that experience. It’s a good lesson for the players to keep believing in a high position on the table.

“Every game is difficult.

“We can win every game, we can lose every game and that’s the Premier League it means for us and the rest of the teams.”