RALPH Hasenhuttl described as “a good step forward” Saints’ success at Burnley, as they got off the mark in the Premier League at the third attempt.

Following losses against Crystal Palace and Tottenham, the St Mary’s side put in a galvanised display to grind out a 1-0 victory at Turf Moor, thanks to Danny Ings’s fifth-minute goal.

Saints had gone into the game bottom of the pile when stepping out at the Lancashire venue.

But the manager revealed how he saw the hard work put in on the training ground pay dividends to secure their first victory of the 2020-21 season.

Hasenhuttl said: “The first points are always important.

“I think we showed in the last game (against Tottenham) a good 45 minutes. This was longer, very consistent.

“In the second half they had a period where they little bit of pressure on us and we couldn’t manage to bring the ball on the ground.

“But here, to win, it’s not so easy. The way they play is definitely something that is tough to defend and we did it really well with a lot of energy.”

Striker Ings’s winner was Saints’ only shot on target during the 90 minutes at Turf Moor, with Che Adams also spurning a good first-half opportunity.

And although the likes of Chris Wood, Matej Vydra and Charlie Taylor had opportunities for the Clarets following the interval, Austrian Hasenhuttl believed Saints were good value for the victory.

“It was clear what we had expected lately of this ground. Very tough work against the ball and hard defending,” he added.

“But I think we showed what we had worked on during the week. We were much better organised. More compact, more disciplined, hard defending.

“And also in possession, I think we had been much braver. A good step forward, I think we worked good this week at the right decisions.

“I think in the end it was a deserved win.”