Saints manager Claude Puel said it was “a pleasure” to watch his side’s second half performance at West Ham which made it four wins on the spin.

Puel wasn’t happy with the start of Saints’ first ever visit to the London Stadium, but was smiling by the end of it as his team ran out 3-0 winners to move up to ninth in the Premier League.

After being unable to find a win in his first four games in charge, things have changed around quickly for Puel with four wins in a row in all competitions creating a real feeling of momentum ahead of the Europa League trip to Israel which now awaits.

He said: “It is a pleasure to see my players when they enjoy and they can practise good football, but I think with all these many chances to score it is difficult to stay just with one goal. It’s dangerous.

“It was important to score the second goal and I think it’s important to have many chances but also to score a little more as it’s a little difficult for me.”

Despite all the positives, Puel was clearly unimpressed by how his side went about things in the opening stages of the game and was glad it didn’t end up costing them.

“I think a good second half. Our first half was difficult,” he admitted.

“It was not good play for us and it was important to come back in the second half with all the things and second half we can see a team and players with a good technical level and quality on the ground.

“After many chances we need a solution to score and this is important and first half we were a little nervous at the start of the game and we lost the ball quickly and it was important in the second half to correct this.”

Puel was at something of a loss to explain why his side were nervous, and could only put it down to a first visit to the London Stadium.

“I don’t know because I think perhaps with a good support of the fans of West Ham perhaps, a great stadium,” he reckoned.

“I think it’s a little difficult for the opponent and I don’t know but it was important to correct this and very interesting for this because we can see with the bad start it was important to see in the second half with good energy.”