Jose Fonte has claimed that the "massive" victory over Everton could be a turning point for Southampton after their recent struggles.

A run of five successive defeats came to an end as Ronald Koeman's side cruised to a 3-0 win on Saturday, and Fonte believes that the performance can help the Saints challenge the sides at the top of the table again.

"It's massive after the results that we've been having," the Southampton captain told members of the media.

"Not so much the performances, because I thought that we deserved more in a couple of games, but the fact is we had zero points in four games.

"So, to have a performance like we had, and get the clean sheet – three points, three goals - just puts us on the right track to go on a good run again."

Southampton return to action with a trip to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace on Boxing Day.