RALPH Hasenhuttl insists Saints' late, late equaliser was "absolutely deserved" after seeing his side draw 2-2 at Newcastle United.

All of Hasenhuttl's previous trips to Tyneside had ended in defeat and it looked as though Saints were about to suffer the same fate again.

Callum Wilson put Newcastle ahead early in the second half, but Moi Elyounoussi equalised.

However, Allan Saint-Maximin struck at the death to give the hosts the lead again, only for James Ward-Prowse to net from the penalty spot with the final meaningful kick of the contest.

Asked if he feels was a point was the least his side deserved, boss Hasenhuttl said: "Yes. This is what I definitely think today. But I also think in the past we played good games here and never took something. I don’t know why, it was always running against us.

"But in this game it was absolutely deserved that we get minimum a point.

"What we haven’t made is to win today because we had the chances, especially in the first half were there.

"But when you take a thriller and then finally take a point, then you must take it."

Asked if his players were happy with a point, or if they felt it could have been two dropped given the chances they missed during the game, Hasenhuttl added: "In the end when you come back in 90+3, you must be happy and they have been because for all the work you do and then don’t get something here, then it is quite tough.

"We have shown we are fighting until the end. This is important for our fans here, for us, for everybody because coming back after such a hit in the overtime it is fantastic for the guys and absolutely deserved."