Southampton boss Ronald Koeman has insisted that his side deserve to be third and is pleased with his team's performances in the Premier League.
The Saints grabbed all three points at St James' Park, courtesy of two Eljero Elia goals, moving them within five points of second-placed Manchester City.
Koeman revealed that he might not have believed it at the start of the season, but now insists that Southampton deserve to be in the hunt for a Champions League place.
"If I had been asked the question in pre-season, would we be third in the table after 22 games, maybe I would have laughed," the Dutchman told reporters.
"But not now because we have a really good team and we have really good spirit and really good organisation.
"I'm not surprised that we are now third in the league because we haven't stolen any points and, what we have got, we have deserved."
Koeman's side have also been performing admirably on the defensive front, with no side in the top four divisions conceding fewer goals than the Saints.
Sam McEvoy
