REMEMBER THE DAI
After the laid-back Latin approach of Pellegrino it’s fire-breathing Welsh dragon Sparky that can save Saints – and talisman Tadic says: This day must live in our memories forever
DUSAN TADIC hailed the Mark Hughes effect after Southampton’s first win under their new boss – and claimed the Saints can now stay up with only four more points.
The Serbian playmaker insisted he will remember this emotional victory “forever” after his brace moved the Saints within a point of safety.
After joining the ecstatic post-match celebrations, Hughes gave an immediate reality check and warned his players there are no excuses left after grasping a “chance” of Premier League survival.
But Southampton’s first home win since November felt like a massive moment.
And repeat victories at Everton and relegation rivals Swansea in their next two matches should guarantee survival on 38 points before Manchester City visit on the final day.
Hughes, who picked up one point in his first four games after his Stoke sacking, admitted the blood-andthunder performance had been “a long time coming”.
Yet his Welsh passion has proved the perfect antidote to the passivity of his predecessor Mauricio Pellegrino.
“He’s made a big difference,” said Tadic. “He’s a great coach and he was a great player. He sees everything and he also recognises that this is a crucial moment.
“He told us before the game that the most important thing to do is win and it doesn’t matter how. We did that.
“It was a great match, a great experience that we will remember forever. We were fighting for our lives. “How many wins do we need? It’s difficult to say, but maybe four points more. And it would be great for Southampton if he [Hughes] stayed.
Only five times since the Premier League turned into a 20-team league in 1995/96 has 36 points or fewer been enough to stay up.
Tadic showed his class with a neat finish in each half, but with the unmarked Josh King (left) scoring from a corner in first-half injury time, Saints were never able to pull clear.
And it needed desperate defending – and four professional yellow cards to disrupt the game late on – to secure the vital win.
“Results change everything,” said Hughes. “We have given ourselves an opportunity to turn this around. It has been a poor season. You start to make excuses that you haven’t won for a long time.
“Maybe that was the case. We have set the level for our last three games now. If we don’t show those qualities, we will go down.”