Only one thing mattered in this game and that was that Saints were in front when the final whistle was blown.

Saints looked like they were going to drop a couple points despite dominating the game at Loftus Road, they looked comfortable throughout the game with the only scare being when Fraser Forster had to react brilliantly to turn over a deflected shot from close range, however it looked like we would pay for squandering a number of old opportunities.

But just as it looked like we would be taking only one point home, up popped Sadio Mane to spark scenes of mayhem in the away section, in truth although it was harsh on Rangers who had battled hard it was nothing more than Saints deserved.

The good thing though is that we had players coming back from injury and that means the squad is getting stronger by the week ready for a run of tough fixtures, but in the meantime we have to keep winning and that is just what we did here and this result could matter come the last day of the season.

Florin Gardos appeared to have taken the blame for the defeat in the cup to Palace and was on the bench last week, he probably didn't think he would get a chance so early in this game to come on, but after the injury to Matt Target who was down for over 6 minutes before he was stretchered off still motionless, that meant a reshuffle at the back but it didn't upset the balance of the side and Gardos had a decent game as did Yoshida who switched to left back

But the star of the show waited till the last minutes of the game to take a pass from Yoshida, hold off his man and hen lashing the ball into the far corner for a vital three points.

There is still a long way to go this season, but sometimes goals like this don't only change games but change seasons and these two extra points snatched at the death could be vital.

Photo: Action Images

bstokesaint added 10:35 - Feb 8 Most things to note. Successful teams score late goals. Fraser's save was world class and if that had been Schmeichel we'd be witnessing replays for years to come. Mane has gone from good progressively down to very poor, and then quickly back up to absolutely brilliant. His price tag now looks very cheap. With Liverpool playing Spurs midweek this is our biggest chance to open up a gap. Need to try and stay with Man C as long as possible.

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tiptop added 11:24 - Feb 8 Vital win after swansea result.4 consecutive away wins in the league. Measure of how saints are developing. Mane is the main man. Pelle - please score! Yoshida is growing in stature and confidence. Please J-Rod get back fit and firing this season. Is Bertrand available nxt match?
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mgprobert added 11:38 - Feb 8 It's a game of fine margins. If Fraser had missed the save we could easily have come away with nothing. Maybe this season the luck is with us. Still a long way to go....but what a season after last Summer's "meltdown"
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GeordieSaint added 12:08 - Feb 8 Great ball by Yoshida to play Mane into that position.
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WestSussexSaint added 13:36 - Feb 8 Performance wise there was very little difference between the Swansea game and yesterday but one bit if quality in each match meant the difference between a loss and a win. Mane brings that bit of unpredictable quality that you need when a defence is difficult to unlock. It also helped having the reassuring presence of big Vic yesterday as the whole side looked a bit more solid with him in the middle. I was critical of Forster last week as I thought he should have done better with Shelveys goal but fair play to him yesterday as he made up for it. There is no reason why we cannot go on another run now and cement that top 4spot.

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FrankSaint added 13:43 - Feb 8 In this match Saints played a lot more fast balls into the area around the D which was typified by Yoshida's pass for Mane's goal. That was the difference from the Swansea match. QPR made it easier by leaving space behind their backline to run into. While Swansea sat back and defended deep. So the boys need to keep working on shooting from the edge of the box too. I noticed they made sure to have players ready to pick up a dropped ball from the goalkeeper whenever they did have a pop.

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schatfield added 16:40 - Feb 8 fine margins indeed, could have very easy lost it, but lovely goal from Mane. great save from forster too. Pelle had bit of a stinker and needs a goal badly
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BoondockSaint added 22:33 - Feb 8 I think all teams we play are putting a man right on Pelle to wear him out. But he has been contributing passes. Still would like him to score, as I think he'll get a bunch. Mane working very hard lately-the signing of Elia helped light a fire. Too bad Kane is saving MoPo-who wouldn't give him a shot until he had no choice but to play him.
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Zambucco added 08:11 - Feb 9 Pelle is becoming a BIG worry, okay he holds play up, okay he has extra men on him nowadays, but he HAs to score goals it's now 3 in 18 games, not what I want from out big target man. Rickie went through the same thing, stopped scoring goals, but held the ball up and played others in. But in my mind he shouldn't have been doing that, and it congested the midfield. Sad to say but he needs to take on a nasty side, like Diego Costa, stop whingeing to the ref and start dishing out some rough stuff of his own. Apart from that a great performance and playing until the final whistle, showingour belief.

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AreYouSure added 09:59 - Feb 9 Obviously ever person are entitled to an opinion, but why are people negative towards Pelle? He's very good at what he does. I agree that he needs to be more clinical in his shooting, but the reason he hasn't scored much isn't because of that, but simply the crosses into the box haven't been good enough... Funny how no one points that out. Pelle wins most things in the air, but he plays best to feet, as he is a master of holding the ball up, and is brilliant at bringing others into play. He isn't a striker to run off the back of defenders. So how is he supposed to score? Part of the reason we play so well is because he occupies defenders and plays for the team... So maybe the actually problem for being slightly toothless at the moment are our midfielders are struggling to be clinical in front of goal. I think our midfield is one of the best in the league, and we attack beautifully, so please don't start saying that I'm being negative towards them, as I'm not.

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halftimeorange added 10:20 - Feb 9 I'd like to see a commanding performance from Saints. We comfortably demolished Everton and Newcastle but we show signs of wilting to me. I truly believe Pelle needs a break. Battling in the EPL every week after the relative ease of Holland is a drain for a man of his size. It looks as though Gallagher will be the only option to lead the line this season. Carlton Cole if WHU cancel his contract?

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Jesus_02 added 12:07 - Feb 9 It would be interesting to start with Pelle on the bench but without Long I'm not sure that we have that option ( I can only think of Mane). Pelle's problem is that he is on his own up front. Its the way we play. He is just going through a spell when he seems to be talking the gamble (e.g. Near post/ back post/pen spot). When he and Tadic clicked they are immense but its a bit of a 50/50 at times. What is pretty special though as a Saints fan is that there is genuine debate about our "first 11". Will Ward-Prowse play and if so at the expense of who?

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bstokesaint added 12:35 - Feb 9 As Zambucco says 3 from 18 from your front man is not a good return. This could be to do with the lack of service, but I still think Pelle is one of those players that needs 3 or 4 good chances to bury one. That's fine provided the likes of Mane, Elijah and Long are chipping in. There's no need to panic or get on his back as some fans are currently, but if he could be a little more clinical I reckon he could get that ratio up. Just from memory he hit the post against Man U (when Tadic scored) and against Arsenal when he could (and should) have added a brace to his season's total.

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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 12:53 - Feb 9 Pelle is a vital lynch pin in the Saints attack. He's needed to hold the ball up, battle in the air, and link the play, much in the same way Lambert did in the Premiership. We need Pelle to play every game because we have no-one else who can do that for us. He is fatigued but we have no other option. He definitely needs a goal, that will give him a boost and once he gets one he might go on a scoring run which is what we're desperate for at the moment. We are dominating teams without scoring.

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SaintJez added 13:27 - Feb 10 super win on Saturday. There's nothing like a last minute winner to make you feel happy about standing 2 hours in a freezing cattle shed.. Don't think we should be getting on Pelle's back. He's absolutely crucial for us and has been asked to play every minute of every game this season (give or take). It's a tiring role and he's coping admirably. Admittedly, he could definitely use a goal but his link play is still tidy and he's well involved. It will click for him again soon. Mane, Elia, Tadic and the soon to be introduced Djuricic give us nice attacking options for the business end of the season. Here's hoping for a positive midweek!

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