This wasn't a pretty game to watch, but at the final whistle it was the right result and one that took us back into the top 10.

Claude Puel rung the changes after the Europa League exit and was initially rewarded by a lacklustre first half display that saw the team booed off at half time.

It wasn't that Saints were bad, indeed one misplaced backpass aside that saw a scramble and a clearance off of his own goal line by Jose Fonte, Saints looked to be handling Boro well and were rarely in trouble, however that was also the case on Thursday evening and like that night we were rarely threatening ourselves in the opening 45 minutes.

In the second half the tea cups must have been thrown in the dressing room because Saints came out with a new found attitude and vigour and eight minutes into the second half Sofiane Boufal fired a wonder goal to open the scoring.

From a full 25 yards from nowhere he suddenly unleashed a shot that flew past the Boro keeper and didn't give him a chance to even try to stop it, this gave Saints the impetus and although they never added to their total, they looked well in command and saw out the game always threatening to add to the goal.

This was a game when the result mattered more than the way in which it was won for several reasons, firstly we needed a morale booster after the disappointment of midweek, but more importantly the team needed to show that collectively and as individuals they have the mental attitude to play through a tough time.

This they did and it was significant that the visitors did not have one shot on target in the second half, indeed they only had two during the entire match.

Special mentions should be given to Nathan Redmond and Jay Rodriguez, both have come under fire from their own fans this season, but both got their heads down and worked, Rodriguez played his first 90 minutes in the Premier League since his injury almost three years ago and was unlucky not to get his second goal of the season on several occasions not least when he saw a header cleared off the line.

He showed enough to suggest that with Charlie Austin out to the New Year and beyond he could be the man to lead the line, he doesn't seem to have lost much in terms of work rate and we know he can score goals. What he is lacking is game time and with Austin out he might now get a run in the side that could see him back to his best, like most strikers it is amazing what a goal or two can do for you.

Nathan Redmond came on at half time for Dusan Tadic, he immediately showed he was ready to work hard and prove his critics wrong and in the main he did this, it helped Redmond that he was able to play more wide in the attacking trio than before and with Rodriguez more mobile than Austin it also offered him more options when delivering the ball.

A mention too for Shane Long and Steve Davis, Puel used his substitutes well in this game, Davis came on at the right moment to help close out the game in the final 17 minutes and Long showed that he like Rodriguez will be a handful in the coming months with a run of games..

But for me man of the match was Jordy Clasie, he showed why our former manager rated him so highly and is now probably over JWP and Hojbjerg in the pecking order in the centre of midfield.

So a result which puts Saints back in the top ten and hopefully will give our supporters some perspective of where we are and what we have achieved this season, this time last year we had 21 points from 15 games, only one more than we have this, but last season we were out of both the Europa League and League Cup whilst this we have a semi final in the latter competition to look forward to.

That shows that Puel and his squad are no mugs and no need to kick on and look to move up the League, I used to say that if you are within one win of where you want to be then that is good, at present it is only goal difference that is keeping us off 8th place and we are one point from Watford in 7th, Manchester United are in 6th and whilst we are not within a win of them, we are only four points from then.

So I'm satisfied with our Premier league season so far, yes it has had its difficulties and yes we should have done better at times, but to sit where we are at present is acceptable, but having laid these foundations we do need to now kick on.

Photo: Action Images

SanMarco added 10:18 - Dec 12 I am not a fan of Redmond but I agree that he added some much needed urgency in the second half. Sadly I cant agree over JRod and I hope, now that TUI seems to speak for the club, that this isn't preparing us for no January striker signing. It is a good thing that the result was more important than the performance!!
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perazi added 10:31 - Dec 12 Good summary. Poor first half, but second half was much better. A wonder goal from a player who just might get us off our seats like Mane did often in the past. I've written J-Rod off and been critical of Redmond but both did well. J-Rod could easily have had a brace and ran hard all night; Redmond was lively and added spark to the side, wide left which allowed the impressive Boufal to roam centrally - he is going to provide plenty of assists as well as goals. I thought McQueen, Fonte, Clasie and even Martina all had great 2nd halves. Such an important win. My only disappointment was another nothing performance from Ward-Prowse. Nick, you called him a competent Prem player the other day, but mostly, dead ball delivery aside, he looks so limited. If Yoshida had hit that poor back pass rather than JWP you would have been labelling him "not good enough".

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arthurfane added 11:37 - Dec 12 Not a fan of booing your own team, but yesterday it was almost justified - Saints are just so boring and uninspiring to watch at times, and the first half was just that. Second half you could sense the added urgency and I was pleased with how we played, just lacking a little bit of cutting edge - I hope this will be remedied in January; with Austin out, and Boufal off to the AFCON, unless JRod and Shane can rediscover their scoring touches, we're going to continue to struggle for goals, and rely on defence more than ever. Stand outs for me were JRod (clearly lacking confidence, but his snap shot in 1st half was smartly kept out, and he was unlucky with Clayton's clearance off the line), Boufal who was able to find the spark that lit up an otherwise drab affair, and Fonte who was exceptional and must be kept in January (on that note, I feel he was offered a fair contract with wage rise but no extention - neither club nor player are to blame for the fact that he'll likely leave in the summer). Agree about JWP looking poor - he really needs to step it up and finally realise that enormous talent. All-in-all happy with the three points - minimum 4 more needed from next 2 games please. COYS

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SaintNick added 11:37 - Dec 12 San Marco, I judged J Rod on his game yesterday not on anything else, he ran for 90 minutes and was unlucky not to get a goal, he had a decent snap hot first half and a good header cleared off the line and almost got a goal in the dying minutes.. He showed that his fitness is still there, now he just needs to get his goalscoring touch back. Perazi, I stand by my comment that JWP is competent, yes the back pass was appalling but showed that he can hit a defence splitting ball he just needs to do it in the other direction (I am joking here) that is a rareity for him though, I judge Yoshida on 4 1/2 seasons not the odd game here and there. JWP needs to grasp games by the throat, he has not moved on from three years ago

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Jesus_02 added 11:44 - Dec 12 For the last few seasons we always seemed to have a goal threat regardless of whether we were 2 up or 2 down. This season it’s the polar opposite. Until we scored I thought we were going to lose and when we scored I though a draw was inevitable. This was a completely dower affair, an entertainment free game that would put any potential new fans off. We all remember yesteryear, but if the club has ANY serious ambition of rising above our current status then the level at which are a performing is unacceptable. We have always pushed the boundaries in terms of what we can get away with. Unfortunately we are now in desperate need of an impact signing in January which is really against everything “the Southampton way” stands for. If we do get an effective striker that can hold the ball up then we could fly up the league and we may get some flair back. However Puel’s tactics simply do not match the personnel that we have So no, I am not satisfied with the season so far, sometimes the way you play IS more important than the result. OK we have 1 less point than last season. But last season I don’t think you would find us playing for 0-0 against second rate Israeli teams and trying to force our club captain out.

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SanMarco added 12:10 - Dec 12 Oh no - I'd forgotten about the AFCON Nick - we all want JRod to succeed but I don't think we can put all our eggs in that particular basket. Nice one about the defence-splitting pass !!
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SaintPaulVW added 12:41 - Dec 12 I must admit I've been drifting into the get JRod out on loan camp recently. However, he looked good yesterday. How that last tap in stayed out I just don't know. He just needs a few goals to settle him. Hopefully now he's back to fitness, these will come quick. Boufal, Redmond and Clasie all looked good. I agree completely that the first half was pretty insipid. I agree that we are lacking a clinical cutting edge. That and tapping it around too deep are my bugbears this season. When we play the exciting attacking football that this side is set up to play it needs to have someone to finish it all off. I'm still hoping JRod/Austin are the 2 who can do this. Although a target man who can hold the ball up still seems like a useful addition to the squad in January. Tricky finding them that time of year though.

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schatfield added 13:14 - Dec 12 Pretty boring game if im honest aside from the Boufal bit of magic. A Pelle type player that can hold up the ball is badly needed in January please.....our black box surely can find that unearthed gem.
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Consigliere added 13:37 - Dec 12 It was hardly surpassing that this was a boring first half - the two lowest scoring teams in the league after all - but whatever was said at half time made all the difference. Listening to the manager on the radio afterwards however (not easy I know cutting through all the waffle about "possibilities" and "solidarity") I rather got the impression that he was saying that waiting until the second half before showing any enterprise was all part of his careful game plan but if so, it doesn't please the fans and isn't easy on the eye. I wasn't one of those who good the team off at half time and never would but the natives were distinctly restless and I don't blame them. Back to the early press like we did against Everton if you please Monsieur Puel!

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Consigliere added 13:38 - Dec 12 boo'd, not good! spellchecker error
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highfield49 added 13:46 - Dec 12 Hands up from me as well, another who has suggested JRod should be farmed out next month. Imo his performance and work rate yesterday looked like he is getting very close to his best form again. In fact this was the first occasion when, to me, he hasn't looked like he was protecting his damaged knee. Still think we need to try and find and find a forward who can pull defences out of their comfort zone asap but for me Jay should now be kept in the squad as well. Clasie played well against Arsenal and again yesterday so maybe one or two things are starting to turn in our favour at last. That said it's crucial that supporters get behind the team and, to be blunt, those out there who want to slag off the players please do it over a pint and not during the game.

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ItchenNorth added 13:47 - Dec 12 Couldn’t work out why people were booing at half time, my conclusion was that bloody awful My Way song we were subjected too ! Mind you, it clearly inspired the players, but keep it for the dressing room next time lads !!!! It was a spectacular goal by Sofiane Boufal amidst a pretty dire game, but we are now just three points off 7th. We need a good January transfer window (i.e. a striker in, VVD staying) to settle things down. Too many fans just panic or give up supporting their team when things aren't quite going as smoothly as they’d like. Grow a pair I say ! COYR.

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SanMarco added 14:35 - Dec 12 Surpassingly good post Consig
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saintmark1976 added 20:32 - Dec 12 A massively welcome three points from a very poor game. The back four,or more correctly the back three as VVD spent most of the game as a sweeper,played far too deep.In addition we did not have a "get out ball" when we were under pressure, continually attempting to play "tippy tappy" through a congested mid field. Twenty more points now needed together with the ownership question sorted a s a p please.

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Consigliere added 20:38 - Dec 12 Good spot SanMarco, I'm going to have to smack my spellchecker's bottom and send it to bed without any tea until it can correctly spell "surprising", though on reflection "surpassing" works pretty well in the sentence!
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