Tuesday 6 December 2016 08:37, UK
James Tomkins says the Crystal Palace team breathed a collective sigh of relief after a first clean sheet of the season in the 3-0 win over Southampton.
Alan Pardew's side ended a run of 18 Premier League games without a clean sheet going back to April when they beat the Saints at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Palace defender Tomkins, who was playing out of position at right back in a new-look back four during the win, also chipped in with one of the goals but he claimed it was the defensive effort that pleased him most.
"It was a massive relief," Tomkins told the club's website. "It's not just the way we won, it's the clean sheet as well. That was massive for us.
"The lads are all to take credit... it's not just the back four, five including the keeper, it was the whole way through the team that we defended well."
Palace had conceded 26 goals in 13 matches before Saturday's game and had lost six in a row in the Premier League but Tomkins said his side were good at the back and going forward against Southampton.
"I come into every game knowing that we're going to score goals," Tomkins added.
"It's at the other end where we've got to stop them from going in and [against Southampton] we had goals in abundance and kept a clean sheet, it was a nice little balance."
