Paul Lambert Hails 'Positive Point' at Southampton Ahead of Tough Run of Fixtures

Paul Lambert praised his side's defensive display after they put in a valiant effort to claim a 0-0 draw against Southampton at the St. Mary's Stadium on Saturday.

His side were under the cosh for much of the second half and would have conceded all three points if it wasn't for Jack Butland in the Potters' goal. The onslaught from the home side included efforts from Josh Sims, Cedric Soares and Sofiane Boufal, who all squandered easy chances.

Stoke boss Lambert was delighted with how resilient his side were, especially after long spells of pressure that the Saints put on their backline.

"We were backs to the walls at times, but we defended strongly. We may have lost this game a month or so ago," Lambert said, as quoted by Sky Sports.

"It's another positive point, and I'm delighted with the team not getting beat. I love it, I love the pressure of it. It's big-time football, and I can't praise the lads enough for their efforts."

The Scotish manager feels the draw is a point gained despite the daunting run up that Stoke face, adding: "I think any point you get in this division is really good. It's a tough game, and we lost Mame (Diouf) at a tough time as I thought he was a threat, and we looked really good going forward on the counter-attack in the first half.

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"Going forward we could've been a bit better but it's another huge point in another away game. We've only been beaten once in six games."

Life doesn't get any easier for Stoke as they face a tough schedule ahead of them. Next up is champions-elect Manchester City away before tough games against Everton, Arsenal and Tottenham.

They sit just a point from safety in 19th place and Lambert as well as his players will be feeling the pressure as we enter the final third of the season.