Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino has credited his side for what he thought was an "amazing" performance by his players in the 3-0 win away to Cardiff City on Boxing Day.

Pochettino said that the most important thing to him was that his side managed a clean sheet and he was particularly impressed with the precision of his players in attack.

"The victory today was fully deserved," he told BBC Sport. "We were amazing today, we were excellent.

"It was important to regain our confidence and not concede a goal. It had been nine games without a clean sheet so today was important for our confidence. We were precise and my players were very brave.

"There are many games coming so it was important for our confidence especially after six games with no win. It was important to get that winning feeling back."

The result puts Saints six points ahead of 10th-placed Stoke City.