Sunday 22 January 2017 17:58, UK
Southampton's 3-0 win over champions Leicester City on Sunday was the perfect result ahead of their EFL Cup semi-final second leg tie with Liverpool, according to manager Claude Puel.
The Saints ended a run of four straight Premier League defeats thanks to goals from James Ward-Prowse, Jay Rodriguez, Dusan Tadic at St Mary's.
It was just the second time this season that Southampton have scored three times in a league match and it sets Puel's side up nicely for their trip to Merseyside on Wednesday night as they look to defend a slender 1-0 lead and reach Wembley.
"It was a strong game for us, with quality on the pitch, good football, many chances and opportunities in the second half," Puel said.
"We could have finished off the game before, but it was a good result. Two teams in difficulty, and it was important for us to win this game, with good play, and it was a perfect result and now we can recover and prepare for a big game on Wednesday.
"It is an important game, but also for Liverpool who lost in the Premier League, and it is important to stay focussed on our quality and play.
"We know it is a difficult game, the first leg was important and a good game for us, without being clinical because we could have won by two or three goals, but now are just one goal up for the second leg and we know Liverpool away will be difficult.
"But we will play our football and we will see."
One worry for Puel, though, was the ankle injury that forced captain Virgil van Dijk to be substituted just before the hour-mark on the South Coast, making him a doubt for the visit to Anfield.
"I do not know at the moment, we will see tomorrow in training, it is a strong pain from a kick, but I do not know if we will have him for Wednesday or not, but of course I hope (we do)," said Puel.
However, one player who looks certain to face the Reds is Ward-Prowse, who opened the scoring against the Foxes with a well-taken strike that Puel revealed they had been working on in training.
"We repeated this move on the training ground and it is important to take confidence," he said.
"I am happy when a midfielder scores, like Ward-Prowse, and it is important to take responsibility to shoot and cross, because the quality is here, but it is important now to find the clinical finish. Today it was OK, but we need to do better."
