RALPH Hasenhuttl says picking up a point against Chelsea "gives us a lift mentally" after a run of six previous Premier League defeats.

Takumi Minamino's goal put Saints ahead, before Chelsea battled back to earn a 1-1 draw thanks to a Mason Mount penalty.

Asked if it felt like a big point given the side's recent run, Hasenhuttl said: "Yes, definitely. You have seen against who we played today how strong they are. To take a point is not easy.

"A few parts from our game were very good today, especially defending.

"With the ball we had some brave moments in the game but not enough in my opinion, we could’ve played better I think, but they also had good counter-press and good speed to win the ball and then it is tough to be brave. But the goal was exactly what we tried during the week, it was beautiful play."

Asked what this result can do for his team going forward, Hasenhuttl added: "At first it gives us a lift mentally because we didn’t get what we deserved in the last weeks I think.

"We played much better than the results had been I think. Punished from a lot of injuries and other things we did not have in our hands like some decisions.

"I think overall it was time to get the reward for the work we do and now we have 30 points finally, keep it up. It is important we show up again, taking points against the big teams.

"Chelsea are one of the best teams in the league at the moment."

Chelsea continued to dominate possession after equalising, but it was Saints who came closest to grabbing a winner, with Jannik Vestergaard heading against the crossbar.

Discussing the way his side responded to being pegged back, as they were last week against Wolves before going on to lose, Hasenhuttl said: "You could feel the belief after 65 or 70 minutes was back.

"After conceding such an equaliser in the second half it is always hard to take, but I had the feeling we were always looking to stay in the game and maybe score the second goal.

"This was definitely a step forward in our game."