Daily Echo:

MARK Hughes branded Saints’ 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final win at Wigan a “statement of intent” ahead of their Premier League relegation run-in.

A vastly improved second-half display at the DW Stadium saw Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg and Cedric Soares’ fire home their first goals for the club and forge passage to the Wembley semi-final next month.

Giant killers and League One high-fliers Wigan, who had beaten Bournemouth, West Ham and Manchester City to reach the last eight, dominated the first-half but Saints rallied after the interval.

It could have been 3-0 but for a sensational save from Latics goalkeeper Christian Walton from Manolo Gabbiadini’s penalty, after the Italian had been brought down by Dan Burn.

Now Saints head into an international break after a confidence-boosting win, before a HUGE relegation six-pointer at West Ham on March 31.

“It was an important day for us today. It was a difficult week for the guys even before I arrived at the club,” said Hughes.

“As I said before the match today, I’d been really impressed with the quality in the club itself.

“They’d lost a little bit of confidence obviously of late and that can happen, but I’m really pleased with the amount of talent that I’ve got to work with in this group.

“We were tested by Wigan, they were an absolute credit to their manager and fans.

“I congratulate them on how hard they pushed us, but I have to stay we stood up to that.

“People questioned this group before I arrived and maybe questioned my appointment as well.

“It’s a start but a statement of intent.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do in the Premier League, clearly, but we’ll enjoy this moment and the Wembley semi-final which is a great experience for the fans to look forward to.”

Saints, who are 18th in the Premier League - two points from safety after this weekend's results, were under the cosh in the first 45 minutes, but grew into the game after Hughes urged his side to impose themselves on the game.

“I thought we did well up to a point without really creating a enough in the final third,” he said.

“I wanted to play more in their half after the break and I thought we started brightly in that regard, played more in their half, were resolute and when balls needed to be defended and we needed to clear our lines.

“Conditions were difficult for both teams but we made good decisions at the right times and in key moments of the game.

“As a consequence it was an assured performance.”