What a week it’s been for Claude Puel.

When he woke up last Thursday morning he may well have felt a sense of trepidation.

As a new manager he knew how badly he needed to get the wheels of his Saints bandwagon rolling.

Fast forward to just a week later and you wonder what all the fuss was about.

A run of three home games, and three home wins, has made all the difference.

Saints are up and running in the Europa League, back into midtable in the top flight, and victory in the EFL Cup against Crystal Palace added to the feeling of momentum.

You also sense it was a big week for the Saints squad.

It’s not just getting that winning feeling, and a release of pressure, but the very real confidence and togetherness they will have from the knowledge that they genuinely are in it together.

It’s so easy to say those words. You hear them all the time from managers, that’s it’s not just about 11 players but a squad.

However, when it comes down to it they tend to stick with what they know and not take too many chances.

Puel has proved he isn’t like that. He really has mixed it up, making wholesale changes for each of these three games.

He has used the full breadth of what has been available to him, and has discovered he has an extra gem to call upon in the shape of Jake Hesketh.

From the point of view of the squad, it does forge togetherness, with everyone knowing they have a part to play.

Such is the way of things right now, there is no let up.

If three home games provided something tangible to get teeth into, now a run of three away games, including a trip to Israel, poses a real challenge.

At least Saints go into it buoyed rather than worrying.

The first half against Palace started fairly flat, Charlie Austin threatening twice but being correctly flagged for offside.

However, as it wore on Saints started to get greater control of the match and looked extremely comfortable.

They put Palace under immense pressure and might well have had more than a one goal advantage at the break.

The first time they really put Palace under the pump they got the opening goal.

Jose Fonte started it by laying a pass out to Cuco Martina on the right. His cross in wasn’t great and should have been dealt with by Martin Kelly.

He made a total mess of attempting to control the ball and then an ever greater mess trying to make up for it.

Kelly dived into a rash challenge and ploughed through the back of Shane Long, leaving referee James Adcock with no choice but to award a penalty.

Austin stepped up, this time without any debate from Dusan Tadic with the Serbian on the bench, and rolled it into the bottom corner.

Saints spent the last ten minutes of the half creating chance after chance.

Jake Hesketh was at the centre of it, looking a totally different player to the one who was smashed off the pitch at Burnley back in December 2014.

His vision and weight of pass at the top of the diamond was exemplary.

Hesketh forced Wayne Hennessey into a scrambling save down to his left from a header before Long got to the right by-line and cut back to Austin, who half volleyed over on the spin from 12 yards out.

A wonderful reverse pass played in Austin moments later, but Hennessey did very well to get off his line quickly to close down and make the save.

He was in action again to get enough of a touch to turn away Martina’s drive from a tight angle.

Hennessey was beaten in first half stoppage time as Long was played in by Hesketh and rounded the keeper. However, Damien Delaney made good ground and slid in at the last moment to stop the ball going in.

Hesketh was on hand to bag a deserved goal to double Saints’ lead on 63 minutes.

Palace were caught hopelessly up the field as Saints broke. James Ward-Prowse played in Long, whose shot was saved by Hennessey. However, Hesketh was lurking just inside the area and rifled home a shot that gave the Palace keeper no chance.

Clearly full of confidence, he had another crack four minutes later but this was a simple stop for Hennessey.

Alan Pardew threw on Christian Benteke and Jason Puncheon in a bid to try and get back into the tie and, as you would expect, started to go more direct.

Alex McCarthy had to be alert to steal the ball off of Connor Wickham’s toe as he brought down a short header back from Jose Fonte.

But Saints stood firm and were rarely troubled.

Indeed, were it not for Hennessey they might have had another, but he kept out Nathan Redmond in the closing stages.

For Puel it might mean another fixture in yet another competition to come, but he won’t be complaining. From his point of view it was the perfect end to the perfect week.