RALPH Hasenhuttl reckons Saints will need to have a ‘perfect’ performance if they are to achieve a hat-trick of Premier League wins.

Hasenhuttl’s yet to be successful in his quest to bag three top-flight victories in a row but he’s hoping to alter that statistic against Everton on Thursday.

Saints will arrive at Goodison Park on the back of wins against Watford and former Premier League champions Manchester City.

Asked about the significance of another three points, the Austrian said: “It would mean that we have found some consistency in our performances.

“In the fixture against Manchester City you have to have a fantastic game and against Everton it won’t be any easier.

“We are always speaking about how we’ve shown we can be competitive against the big clubs but then we’ve also given away points easily and this must stop.

“It’s a good chance to show ourselves that we are one step ahead of our development.

“Then we can maybe surprise ourselves with this third win in a row and it’s quite a tough game and we know we have the chance to overtake them with a win.

“The most important thing isn’t focusing on what we can do, it’s about looking at what we have to do to win games.

“This is what I try to put the focus on and this helped us in our very difficult time as we could concentrate on our strengths and behaviours on the pitch.

“In the end, this gives you more chances to win the game and whatever position you finish in at the end of the season comes as a result of that.”

Three points tomorrow night would see Saints leapfrog Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton in the table.

The Toffees have Europa League ambitions and will be looking to bounce back from their defeat to Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham on Monday night.

Hasenhuttl isn’t expecting the Goodison Park side to just roll over and is expecting a similar test to the one they faced on Sunday against Man City.

“I think it’s important to be on the line when they win the ball because they have a very quick transition to their strikers with a lot of pace,” Hasenhuttl added.

“They are organised against the ball and very brave with the ball, so we will have to press them and do it in a committed way and do it together.

“They also have a goalkeeper who can kick it very long, so we are going to have to be aware of everything.

“It’s like we were against Man City, it sounds stupid, but it’s nearly the same. Both teams are good on the ball and that means we will have to have a perfect performance.”