Tonda Eckert pleased to see Southampton wipe out points deduction

Tonda Eckert feels Southampton’s thumping 5-1 win against early pace-setters Millwall will have made the rest of the Championship sit up and take notice.

Saints came from behind to pulverise the Lions – who had won their first two matches without conceding – with Cyle Larin netting twice and Finn Azaz, Leo Scienza and Tom Fellows also getting on the scoresheet.

The result means Southampton have wiped out their four-point deduction for last season’s ‘Spygate’ incident and are now in the black.

“It doesn’t hurt to have some points on the board,” said head coach Eckert. “We are chasing. We knew we needed to chase this season and we have shown we are capable of doing that.”

Mark Sykes had driven Millwall into an early lead, but Southampton dominated from then on, with Larin providing the headline performance.

The Canadian headed in the equaliser, but it was his second, to make it 4-1, that will live long in the memory.

He flicked up a pass from Azaz, knocked the ball high over defender Jake Cooper’s head and then volleyed into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

“That second finish is just class,” Eckert said about striker Larin, who already has four goals this campaign.

“There are some things you do as a striker that you do when you are full of confidence, and you don’t do when you don’t have it.

“He is able and willing to take responsibility for the team. There is so much he does off the pitch that is not seen publicly that makes him so good to have in the building.

“There was a chance to score the hat-trick, but he didn’t take it…so I took him off!”

Millwall lost for the first time and were knocked off the top of the table.

Manager Alex Neil said: “I thought it was a strange game in that we were very good for 25 minutes. We took the lead and should have scored another while we were on top.

“The goals were so poor from our point of view. We were lacking that resilience and grit that we always have in the last 20 minutes of the game.

“I am bitterly disappointed at how the game ended up.”

The Lions had a golden opportunity to go in level at half-time, but Tyrell Lisbie hit a post when he had an open goal to aim at.

Lisbie was visibly annoyed at his miss, but Neil told him to put it behind him quickly.

“We missed a chance from three yards and that was a pivotal moment in the game, we could have gone in level pegging,” he said. “It’s a big boy’s game. What are you going to do, go home and cry?

“He missed a chance, get over it and move onto the next one. The best strikers miss a chance and it doesn’t affect them.

“It doesn’t matter if you are a striker, a tennis player or whatever sport, the best guys, when they miss a shot or an opportunity, they get on with the next one.

“Would it have affected the game? Maybe, because it was at a crucial time, but it might not have.”