Dwight McNeil said he had no doubts his first goal for Everton was close after his maiden strike for the Club helped the Blues secure a 2-1 win over Southampton.

The Blues made it back-to-back Premier League wins and stretched their unbeaten run in all competitions to seven games with victory on the south coast.

Frank Lampard's side were made to work for it, though, after Joe Aribo arrowed the Saints ahead shortly after the half-time interval.

Everton's response was emphatic, with summer signings Conor Coady and McNeil both registering their maiden goals in royal blue within the space of 144 seconds.

Reflecting on a well-earned three points, McNeil said: "It feels good. Obviously getting my first goal for Everton is important and I'm happy that I took my chance when it came.

"I didn't really have any doubts about taking on the shot. I knew I hadn't scored in however many games before today - I knew the drought was getting bigger, but I knew if I kept focusing on myself and playing well then it would come.

"But the main point is getting the three points again. We spoke about going for back-to-back wins before the game and we've managed to do that. Now we've got to kick on.

"It's definitely important [to get momentum]. We knew the West Ham win, going into the international break, was a big one.

"There is a lot of healthy competition this year and I was delighted to get the start but the main thing was being part of the team and helping get the three points we needed.

"It's difficult sometimes coming back from an international break and that first game back can be a bit tricky, but I felt we did really well, especially to going 1-0 down.

"We responded really well and scored two quick goals. Now we're looking forward to another big game next weekend. We'll rest and prepare for that one."