Record £16 million signing Sofiane Boufal scored a superb first Premier League goal to help Southampton banish the memory of their humiliating Europa League exit by beating Middlesbrough 1-0 on Sunday.
Boufal's left foot thunderbolt eight minutes after half time was the one moment of quality in a dour match, but was enough to fire Southampton up to ninth in the table.
The victory eased the pressure on under-fire manager Claude Puel following Thursday's limp European KO at the hands of Israeli minnows Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
Positives
Boufal continues to improve game-by-game as he adjusts to the rigours of Premier League football following his summer move from Lille.