Goals in either half from Glenn Murray and Shane Duffy cancelled out Rodrigo’s opener for the visitors, and Stephens reflected on what he believes has been a very successful pre-season.
He said, “It’s a new style of play and it’s something I’ve enjoyed.
"The head coach has got some different ideas and he's freshened things up.
“We’ve had a good few weeks of hard training, and now we can’t wait for the season to start.”
The winning goal came from Irish defender Duffy, who also scored twice last weekend in the 4-0 win over Birmingham City.
The second of those was again a header from a set-piece, and Stephens praised both the night’s goalscorers after the victory over next season’s UEFA Champions League outfit.
“Shane’s a threat from set-plays and that’s obviously something we look to use to our advantage,” he continued.
“Hopefully he can continue to help us out this season. It’s the same with Glenn [Murray] when you talk about his composure in front of goal.
“He’s our penalty taker and he’s used to those situations. He’s got a wise head on him and we trust that he’ll score.”