Dušan Tadić believes Saints picked up a very good point after drawing 1-1 with Barclays Premier League leaders Chelsea at St Mary’s.
Sadio Mané’s goal, which came from a Tadić assist, gave Saints the lead, before Eden Hazard equalised for Chelsea on the stroke of half-time.
That’s the way it stayed, but Tadić felt it was a very tough time to concede a goal, and said the team did well to come away with a point after soaking up pressure in the second half.
“We are happy with a point,” Tadić told the club’s official YouTube channel. “I think in the first half we played better than Chelsea, but in the second half we gave them a lot of space.
“They took the initiative. They’re a really good team, they press us a lot and they had a couple of chances. In the end we are happy with the point.
“We scored at a good time and had good possibilities to score and then at the worst moment we had a goal against at the end of the first half. It was then difficult for us to put our heads up, but in the end it is a good result.
“I think that is the worst moment when you can get a goal against, especially when you are leading 1-0. We showed character and that is good. We said we needed to put our heads up and keep going and we did.”
The game marked a return to the team for Tadić, who had not played since the defeat to Sheffield United in the Capital One Cup, but returned to the side with the assist for Saints’ goal.
He added: “First it was nice to play and then to give the assist but most important it was good to be important for the team. I’m really happy to be back. I feel good, and will keep getting better and better physically.”
Saints were without regular full-back duo Nathaniel Clyne and Ryan Bertrand for the game, but Tadić felt those that came into the side, including youngster Matt Targett for his first Premier League start, did excellently.
“We have a really good group,” he added. “Everyone can fill the place of the other players. It doesn’t matter so much if important players can’t play. Everyone who comes in and gets a chance shows they are good.
“Matt is a really good player, very clever. I like him as a player, he has a beautiful future I think.”
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