Jose Fonte hailed the maturity and intelligence of the Saints team after they completed a memorable week with a win at Hull.

The 1-0 victory at the KC Stadium kept Ronald Koeman’s men second in the table and came just three days after the club beat Stoke 3-2 in a hard-fought encounter to reach the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

“It’s been fantastic,” said team captain Fonte, reflecting on the previous few days.

“Another great team performance. You could see the energy levels they weren’t the greatest, but the most important was the maturity that we showed, the intelligence in managing the game.

“We got the early goal, which sometimes can be difficult, so I was happy with how we managed the game, controlled it.

“It was a very mature performance, and in the second half we could have killed the game. We had chances. But defensively we were fantastic.

“Everyone is helping, everyone is defending. It’s just a great place to be at the moment.”

One of the most impressive aspects of Saints’ season so far is the different ways in which they have won games, and Fonte added: “Of course, this is what we keep talking about.

“You need to be intelligent. During the game, you need to understand how can you win the game, and how can you do it in the best way possible, and it’s just great to see that everyone is understanding and buying into the philosophy and how to win games of football.

“It’s just a pleasure to be in this team, and I hope that we can maintain the level. I think we will. We will take it game by game and we focus on the next one.”

Saints have now won ten of their last 11 in all competitions, and, while they will be expected to continue their sensational run of form at home to Leicester next Saturday, Fonte insists there will be no complacency.

“Never, never, never,” he exclaimed. “We’re already focused and already talking in the dressing room that next week we need to be fresh, we need to recover well this week, so we can approach the next game the best way possible, so we can be 100 per cent on the energy levels.

“If we are, and if we are organised, we give ourselves a good chance.”

Three points next week would certainly send the team into the international break on a massive high.

“That’s the objective. Go into the international break on top of another victory,” said Fonte, who was an immense presence at Hull.

“That’s where we focus. We know it will be a tough one.

“Leicester is a good team, organised, a good manager, and we need to prepare ourselves the best way possible, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

Fonte insists that, despite Saints lying second after ten games, the players are not getting carried away about their league position.

“Honestly, we don’t really look too much to the table,” he said. “We just take it game by game.

“That’s what we keep talking in the dressing room – we take it game by game, we try and win every game, and in the end we’ll do the maths.

“There’s no point starting talking about this and that. What it matters is we win the next game.”