Southampton manager Ronald Koeman hopes Leicester City win the Premier League title after his side were beaten 1-0 by the leaders on Sunday.
Leicester captain Wes Morgan's first-half header was enough to give Leicester victory at the King Power Stadium, boosting their lead over Tottenham at the summit to seven points.
Koeman was angry with decisions by referee Michael Oliver and felt Southampton deserved two penalties for handballs by Robert Huth and Danny Simpson, but praised Claudio Ranieri's side.
"I hope that they will win the title because they deserve to," Koeman said.
"And, if they continue, with a little bit of luck from the decisions of referees, then for sure they will win it.
"But for sure I don't say that they will win the title by the referees. They win the title, if they win it, because they have a fantastic season."
Koeman conceded that Southampton's loss was a significant blow after they missed the chance to close the gap on sixth-placed West Ham, who drew 2-2 with Crystal Palace on Saturday.
"You are always disappointed if you don't win and take the chance to come closer to the high positions in the table," the Dutchman said.
"But we've played against the number one in the Premier League and it was a tough game, it was a good game, and we had our chances.
"They had the chances to score the second one and we were unlucky at the decisions by the referee."
