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Southampton targeted Man City goalkeeper Ederson - while Che Adams seized moment with 40-yard strike

Ederson looks on after being lobbed from 40 yards out - AP
Ederson looks on after being lobbed from 40 yards out - AP

Ralph Hasenhuttl said that striker Che Adams is relieved that he can finally call himself a Premier League goalscorer after the forward’s wonder-strike beat Manchester City.

The Southampton manager also revealed that his team had deliberately targeted City goalkeeper Ederson who plays as a ‘libero’ and a sweeper-keeper and is often far outside his goal.

Adams scored from almost 40 yards out with an opportunistic first-time shot after Southampton had won possession near half-way and with Ederson on the edge of his penalty area. It was the 23-year-old’s first goal in his 30th appearance for Southampton – and his 25th in the league - since his £15 million move from Birmingham City last year.

“If you have a goalkeeper like him who also plays sometimes like a libero then it’s normal he’s not always in the perfect position when you win the ball,” Hasenhuttl said. “It was fantastic that Che in that moment saw the goalkeeper was out of his goal.”

Asked about the importance of Adams finally scoring, Hasenhuttl added: “Hopefully a lot. He was working so hard. It seems that everything was prepared for the right moment today. The most important thing for him is that he is now a first time scorer in the Premier League. We waited a long time for it but he has never stopped working hard.”

There were wild celebrations in the Southampton dressing room afterwards following what felt like a famous victory – and a psychologically important one given their dismal home record in recent years.

“It means a lot to him (Adams) and also to us because when you hear how much the players were celebrating him when he entered the dressing room then he deserved to score. We had a lot of players performing today. It was quite noisy there. They really were celebrating with him.”

The Austrian said the victory was the best home performance by Southampton since he has been at the club and was a far cry from the 9-0 defeat to Leicester City earlier this season. It also moved Southampton up to 13th place. “We knew when you want to take something against such an opponent you have to run more, fight more, sprint more, be brave and in the end have a little bit of luck,” Hasenhuttl said.

"It's unbelievable to take points against such a team – you see how they play. We invested so much today, every player. I'm very proud of my team.”