Claude Puel delighted with "important" win at West Ham United

Claude Puel has declared that the future looks bright for Southampton after seeing his side claim an "important" win at West Ham United on Sunday afternoon.

A 3-0 victory for the Saints in East London makes it four in a row in all competitions following a slow start to the Frenchman's tenure.

Southampton struggled to truly get going in the first half at the London Stadium but did not look back after Charlie Austin opened the scoring 40 minutes in, with further goals provided by Dusan Tadic and James Ward-Prowse after the restart to lift them up to ninth place.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the game, Puel said: "It was very important to win this game. Against a team without confidence it was important to press. We had a bad first half because we didn't keep the ball.

"I find a very good second half for my players with many chances and beautiful goals, which is important for confidence. For the future this was very good, to see the improvement from the first half to the second."

The Saints can now look forward to a Europa League group-stage tie away at Hapoel Be'er Sheva on Thursday evening, which is quickly followed by a trip to face Premier League champions Leicester City.