Ralph Hasenhüttl declared his pride after seeing Southampton return to winning ways with a 2-0 victory at Wolves that secured a place in the Emirates FA Cup quarter-finals.
Danny Ings broke the deadlock four minutes into the second half when his fortuitous finish was ruled onside by VAR after initially being met by the raised flag of the assistant referee.
Stuart Armstrong set up a trip to south-coast neighbours Bournemouth in the last eight with a well-taken late second on a night when Saints were rarely troubled defensively, as centre-back Mohammed Salisu made his debut and Kyle Walker-Peters returned from injury.
“It was a good performance from the team today. From the first moment, we showed that we wanted to go into the next round,” Hasenhüttl said. “I am very proud of the team.
“It’s good that we have a few players back (from injury). With Sali and Kyle, it gives you more opportunities and gives us the chance to stick to the game plan and play a good game.
“Normally you get self-confidence with winning games, but we didn’t win in the past weeks.
“It (self-confidence) can also come from getting players back on the pitch. Today we had a few more options, and especially Kyle and Sali did a good job today, and all the rest were really strong and well committed.
“After a few difficult weeks, it was important we picked a strong side and go for a win. It can lift you.”
Speaking soon after the draw was made, the boss also gave his reaction to facing Championship opposition in the quarter-finals.
“It’s a tough cup game. We will go there with everything we have and try to win,” he added.
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