Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce was delighted after their 3-2 defeat of Southampton.
The Magpies remain in 16th but the result may ease some of the pressure on Bruce, whose side are now 10 points clear of the bottom three.
However, it was a dismal conclusion to the week for Southampton, who were unable to bounce back from their 9-0 defeat at Manchester United despite Jeff Hendrick's dismissal early in the second half and an injury to Fabian Schar - when the hosts had already made their three substitutions.
"We played half an hour with 10 [men], 20 minutes with nine, we know how difficult that is - Southampton shipped in goal after goal the other night," Bruce said.
"They were terrific in their defending with their attitude and their application to get a result was pretty evident.
"I'm never going to say we've turned a corner but I've been pleased over the last month. There have been been signs of improvement. The players are buying into it, so let's hope we can get a few more results along the way."
