Ralph Hasenhüttl reserved special praise for Southampton’s Nathan Redmond after the winger again proved himself a key man in assisting the only goal at Brighton.
The 25-year-old’s perfectly-timed pass was coolly tucked away by Pierre-Emile Højbjerg in the 53rd minute as three points propelled Saints level with their hosts in the Premier League table.
After six goals in his previous ten matches, Redmond has now gone six games without scoring, but his manager is more concerned with performances and results than statistics.
“He worked a lot,” Hasenhüttl said. “He was a little bit unlucky in his finishing – in the first half he had a big chance.
“He hasn’t scored in a few games now, but I think it’s important for him to work for the team and the assist was a massive one for us.
“It’s not interesting me who scores the goals. It’s important that we score the goals.”
Meanwhile, the boss was also encouraged by Danny Ings’s first appearance in eight weeks after the striker returned from injury to play 67 minutes at the Amex Stadium.
“It’s very positive,” he continued. “For his first game, it was more than enough, and in his next game we will try to give him time to play again. If he’s on the pitch, we have more quality in front.”
Saints, on the back of two wins on the bounce, are next in action at St Mary’s when they host Liverpool under the lights next Friday – a game Hasenhüttl is particularly excited about.
“I think the fans will like this game, and we will too,” he added. “We’re looking forward to it – it will be a fantastic Friday evening.”
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