Nathan Redmond scores twice as Saints move eight points clear of relegation zone
Saturday 13 April 2019 19:19, UK
Ralph Hasenhuttl admitted Southampton are exceeding his expectations and are now in a "sensational" position after their 3-1 victory over Wolves.
Nathan Redmond scored twice and Shane Long added a third as Saints beat Wolves at St Mary's.
The win, along with losses for Cardiff and Brighton, means they are eight points clear of the relegation zone with five matches left to play.
And Hasenhuttl, who was appointed in December when Saints were level on points with now-relegated Fulham, told Sky Sports: "Eight points ahead is sensational for us. I really thought it could be a fight until the last game.
"We are still not at 40 points, but with this style and concentration, and the way the guys are working, we should take these last points."
Hasenhuttl made a key change against Wolves as Josh Sims started his first Premier League match of the season.
The move paid off as Sims set up the opening goal and looked dangerous during the first half.
"We knew that we had to give a good transition forward, and that's why we started with Sims as No 10," said Hasenhuttl.
"The first goal was perfect play from him, and the second we created in a fantastic style. That's another part of our game, and sometimes you have to make difficult decisions like today, leaving Oriol [Romeu] out was not easy for me, but Sims deserved to play and it was the right decision.
"We changed the shape today twice, and it was no problem for the guys. That is a development we have learnt."
Hasenhuttl also said he thinks Wolves were not at their best after losing in the FA Cup semi-finals last weekend.
"We showed a very good performance against normally a very good team. I think today mentally they were a bit broken from the last game, and the good thing was that after the equaliser, we immediately scored again, and that is something that really hurts.
"In the second half, we were very well organised and they didn't have good chances. We had a few set pieces which we were dangerous from today. It was one of our better games at home this year."
