Mauricio Pellegrino has described Southampton's 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion as "a tight game".
The Saints went ahead just seven minutes into Sunday's match as Steven Davis headed home a rebounded James Ward-Prowse free kick.
However, the visitors were pegged back by a Glenn Murray goal in the second half, leading to the south coast rivals sharing the spoils.
"It was a really tight game. It was high tempo, up and down all the time," Pellegrino told Sky Sports News after the game.
"We never could control the ball totally and create more action because both teams were really compact and there were not too many spaces to think about. My players competed well, although we couldn't win.
"Brighton are coming from a good moment, they are playing good games and are strong at home. Maybe it is the most difficult moment to come here.
"It is a pity because we couldn't make the difference to score a second goal before they did, but every Premier League game is different."
The result at the Amex Stadium sees Southampton edge up to ninth in the Premier League table.
