Ronald Koeman didn’t feel his side deserved their vital win over Crystal Palace, but was a relieved man that they got it.

After a deadlocked first half Saints twice came close to falling behind at the start of the second period before rallying to score the only goal of the game on 83 minutes.

It was a day where the result was the most important thing.

“It’s not important how you score, if you score,” said Koeman.

“We have to be a little bit more ruthless in the box sometimes.

“We try to score in a nice way but it’s not important how you score. That you score is the most important.”

He added: “Yes finally we score and win at home.

“I can’t say that we deserved the win, maybe after the first half yes but after the second half Crystal Palace did it well, some good chances, a shot on the post, but football is strange.

“Sometimes you play better, much better than we play today, but it’s all about the confidence.

“We have the most difficult way to play football because we like to play football, we like to play offensive football. All the opponents are defending.

“What they did in the first half in the second half they did a little bit more action to score and then you need total confidence to break it open and we don’t have that confidence today.

“A little bit more struggling than we like and then it’s all about the mental question for the players but they keep the belief in the team, the spirit in the team trying to score the goal and win the game.

“With the support what we had from our fans finally the three points and that make the situation more comfortable than not.”

It was Sadio Mane who came up with the goods for Saints, with another winning goal.

“That’s one of the big qualities of Sadio that he is so dangerous and so looking to score and he has the quality to be on the right moment at the right position and if he gets a chance normally he scores goal and again today he scores the winning goal” said the Saints boss.

Koeman also disagreed with Alan Pardew’s comments that referee Martin Atkinson should have given his side a penalty for a challenge by Jose Fonte on Yannick Bolasie.

“No. It’s so easy if you lose the game to tell that kind of story about referees,” insisted Koeman.

“I think the referee was not involved in the final result.

“We scored and they don’t score and I know because I know that feeling.

“I think it’s too easy and I think too much people are always talking about referees. I don’t like that.”