Jay Rodriguez: 'Mauricio Pochettino put faith in me'

Jay Rodriguez has said that his recent performances are down to the support of his manager Mauricio Pochettino.

The striker scored his eighth goal of the season for Southampton during yesterday's 2-1 win over Chelsea.

The 23-year-old told the club's website: "The manager has put his faith in me. He gives you belief that you should be on the pitch because he's played me and given me a chance.

"All I can keep doing is to try and do my best for him, and for the team. I was chuffed with the goal but, like I always say, it's the three points that matter.

"You've got expect [to defend] against Chelsea because they're a great side and they're the European champions. We stuck with it and ground out a win where we probably would have crumbled earlier in the season. That shows how good defensively we are now."

The result has left Southampton 12th in the Premier League table, four points clear of the relegation zone.