Southampton striker Shane Long has said that his side proved their doubters wrong with their convincing 3-0 win over Everton on Saturday.

The Saints had lost their last five games in a row going into the match against the Toffees, including their Capital One Cup quarter-final against Sheffield United.

However, Ronald Koeman's men brought their poor run to an abrupt end with their victory at St Mary's Stadium, which Long believes will silence their critics.

Long told reporters: "Lots of people don't have a clue what they are talking about if they think our bubble had burst. If they had seen the games, they would be happy with the performances.

"You'd be disappointed with the results, as we were, but we knew if we kept doing things right it would turn our way and we'd get that rub of the green eventually.

"When you have 4,000 fans turning up at Sheffield United on a Tuesday night, it was a tough defeat to take, so we just decided we would win today at all costs. Good or bad football, we were going to win. Luckily, we managed to pass the ball around as well and play with a bit of freedom."

Southampton are fifth in the Premier League following their win over Everton.