Southampton manager Russell Martin hailed his in-form side’s humility and hunger following their win at struggling Rotherham and urged them not to ease up during a “relentless month”.
First-half goals from Jan Bednarek and Adam Armstrong earned Saints a 2-0 victory at rock-bottom Rotherham to move up to second in the Championship standings.
The result at the AESSEAL New York Stadium also extended Southampton’s unbeaten run to 23 matches and Martin is looking for more of the same as they face six more games in a hectic February.
Martin said: “I really enjoyed the performance and the control we had.
“Their goalie made some really good saves and we should have scored a couple more goals. We limited them to very little.
“They really looked after each other. They fought so hard and ran so hard out of possession – especially from direct balls and long throws. It was really tough to play against.
“I am really proud of the players. It was a tough pitch compared to what the guys play on. The players said it was the toughest they have played on all season.
“We had a joke at breakfast about going 20-odd unbeaten and still being fourth. That’s the level of the competition, it’s outstanding and it’s great to be involved in. The lads are just head on and enjoying the opportunity.
“The players keep showing the humility and hunger. Hopefully we can keep enjoying this feeling for as long as possible. We will focus on ourselves and keep learning and growing as much as we can.
“It’s going to be a relentless month. We need to keep pushing the players.”
Centre-half Bednarek put Southampton in front with just four minutes on the clock when he reacted fastest to a ricochet in the box to head beyond Viktor Johansson.
Adam Armstrong netted the second in the 38th minute after Ryan Fraser had laid cleverly into his path for a simple finish.
The Millers then had Johansson to thank for keeping it to just two when he kept out Will Smallbone’s drive.
Southampton could afford to cruise through the second half but came close to adding a third when new lean signing David Brooks fired just off target.
Rotherham huffed and puffed after the break but could not get back into the game, with Gavin Bazunu denying them a late consolation when he kept out Ollie Rathbone’s volley.
Millers head coach Leam Richardson said: “Southampton were exactly what we expected. They’re a team full of quality and going very well. We knew the challenges we were going to face.
“The only disappointing thing is the way we started the game. Second half was more like us without creating massive chances.
“They could control the game a little bit more. It was a tough afternoon for the boys.”
Richardson knows he has to keep rallying his players after just one win going back to October.
He added: “We either feel sorry for ourselves and don’t do anything about it or we meet the challenges.
“We should never be OK with losing 2-0 to Southampton because we want a competitive environment.
“You either meet the challenge head on or you back off. I would rather go and be pro-active. If you’re going to lose, lose being the best version of yourself.
“The challenge was to go and win the second half and we possibly could have done.”
Hull City 3-3 Ipswich Town: Tigers fight back three times to deny Tractor Boys
Ipswich Town missed the chance to move into an automatic promotion spot as play-off-chasing Hull City came from behind three times in a thrilling 3-3 Championship draw at The MKM Stadium.
Ipswich knew a victory would take them second after Leeds United were surprisingly beaten 4-0 by Queens Park Rangers on Friday, and they led on three separate occasions, George Hirst opening the scoring before Omari Hutchinson produced two brilliant strikes from the edge of the area.
However, buoyed by slip-ups from rivals Norwich City and West Brom earlier on Saturday, Hull dug deep to fight back on each occasion, Ozan Tufan and Liam Delap scoring their first two equalisers.
With Liam Rosenior's men 3-2 down with just four minutes to play, substitute Noah Ohio blasted his shot in off the crossbar to punish an error from Ipswich goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky.
The result keeps Ipswich behind second-placed Leeds on goal difference, though the Tractor Boys have a game in hand to come at Coventry City on Tuesday.
Hull, meanwhile, are two points adrift of the top six, with Norwich's goal difference advantage meaning their top-six spot is all but assured. The Tigers will, however, leapfrog West Brom if they beat Plymouth Argyle on the final day and Albion lose to Preston North End.
Data Debrief: Hutchinson's best not enough
Hutchinson was a man who deserved to be on the winning side on Saturday, giving Ryan Allsop no chance with two near-identical left-footed strikes from the right corner of the penalty area.
His goals came from an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.6, and he led all players on the pitch for shots (eight) and passes in the final third (21), also laying on three chances for his team-mates.
Al-Khaleej 0-1 Al-Nassr: Ronaldo misfires on return as Laporte nets winner
Cristiano Ronaldo returned from suspension but failed to find the net as Al-Nassr secured a 1-0 win over Al-Khaleej on Saturday, with Aymeric Laporte coming up with the decisive goal.
Ronaldo was in action for the first time since being sent off for an elbow in a 2-1 Saudi Super Cup loss to Al-Hilal earlier this month, with his initial two-match ban being reduced to one on appeal.
He missed three good chances as Al-Nassr threatened to fall further behind runaway Saudi Pro League leaders Al-Hilal, but former Manchester City defender Laporte spared his blushes by nodding Marcelo Brozovic's deep free-kick into the bottom-left corner with 68 minutes gone.
Al-Nassr remain nine points adrift of Al-Hilal at the summit in spite of their win, with Jorge Jesus' team unbeaten through 28 games this season as they close in on a record-extending 18th title.
Data Debrief: Ronaldo misfires on return
Ronaldo was presented with the Saudi Pro League's Player of the Month award for March ahead of kick-off, having scored four goals in three league appearances last month.
However, his sights were off on Saturday as he failed to net despite three of the visitors' four big chances, as defined by Opta, falling his way. He led all players on the pitch for expected goals (1.27 xG), shots (five), shots on target (three) and touches in the area (nine) without reward.
Huddersfield all but relegated from Championship while League Two play-off spots decided
Huddersfield Town saw their relegation from the Championship all but confirmed after a 1-1 draw with fellow strugglers Birmingham City on Saturday.
The Terriers avoided a defeat that would have seen them relegated on Saturday, but even a win on the final day over promotion hopefuls Ipswich Town will not be enough unless they overcome a huge goal difference of 15 goals with Plymouth Argyle.
Birmingham remain in the other relegation place and now must beat Norwich City to stand a chance of staying up with Sheffield Wednesday, Plymouth and Blackburn Rovers also still in danger.
At the other end of the table, the Canaries dropped points in a 2-2 draw with Swansea City, leaving the door open for Hull City, who face Ipswich Town later today.
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