Saints made it 10th time lucky as they beat Sheffield United in comprehensive style to finally win a Premier League game and get the season back on track, hopefully now we can get some momentum and make this season a good one.

Throughout this awful run the trick for Ralph Hasenhuttl was to keep calm knowing that this wasn't a poor team playing badly, but in the main a good team decimated by injury not getting the breaks.

At some stage things had to change and at Bramall Lane what changes was that we had three players back from injury and in key positions.

That meant we could keep our shape and get back to doing what we did before Xmas and that was keep it tight at the back and when you keep a clean sheet it takes the pressure off at the other end of the pitch.

But first Ralph had to make a decision and that was in goal, did he keep faith with Fraser Forster who had kept clean sheets in the FA Cup and had done well at Everton in midweek, or did he restore Alex McCarthy.

The choice was to go with Forster and that was probably a game changing decision, the defence clearly look happier with Forster behind them, in many respects he didn't have a lot to do, but what he did he did with confidence and his defenders knew where he would be and when.

The decision to return Walker Peters, Diallo and Minamino to the team was purely about whether they were fit enough to start and they were.

But perhaps the biggest thing was for the first time in two months we had a bench that have both experience and are proven at the top levels, Adams, Redmond, Djenepo, Salisu even Jack Stephens, for the first time Ralph had more than one option.

But initially Saints struggled, too many passes were going astray and we kept giving the ball away, but we didn't concede because when we made mistakes we got back behind the ball and made sure the Blades didn't make us pay.

As the game went on, we started to cut the mistakes out and dominate but with 13 minutes gone came what looked like a disaster, Danny Ings pulled up and had to go off, the only good thing being that he he wasn't at full pelt in fact he was walking when he felt it. so hopefully the damage has been limited.

On came Adams and I felt that this might be his day, an ex Sheffield United player he always seems to do well against them and has scored in the last 2 games against them.

The injury to Ings seemed to spur us on and after we survived the initial Blades bluster unscathed we started to look like the Saints of pre Xmas again.

On the half hour mark came the breakthrough, Nathan Tella was worrying the home side with his pace and when he was put clean through he was brought down, VAR agreed and James Ward Prowse despatched the penalty with aplomb.

We almost conceded an equaliser in injury time just before the break, a stray pass from Diallo saw a 1-1 on Forster looming but under pressure from Jan Bedarek and with the massive frame of Forster ahead it was a tame chip straight into the keepers arms.

The game was effectively over 4 minutes after half time, Adams saw his shot saved by Ramsdale but the Blades clearance saw Ryan Bertrand block with his head, Stuart Armstrong chest it down and Che Adams strike a glorious rising shot from 25 yards.

TV replays seemed to show that Armstrong may have come from an offside position, but for once we got the rub of the green from VAR.

There was now only one winner and Ramsdale in the home goal had to make three decent saves and both Minamino and Armstrong saw shots go only inches wide, in the end it could have been 4 or 5.

But this being Saints they could not get a third and let their fans watch the final 20 minutes with the game completely put to bed, but truth is the defence did everything and by the final whistle most of which Forster had had to do were tidying up and catch a few crosses, this is not belittling his contribution, he and his defence were well organised and all knew what their job was, Forster was there when called upon, but his defenders made sure that wasn't as often as it has been of late.

So a good win and something we can build on, I have always maintained that the issue was that of injury and when that situation eased then we would get back to to winning ways and this has proved to be the case.

There has been a lot of panic being spread by some of late, but luckily those on the pitch and Ralph Hasenhuttl have in the main kept going and battled through it and now we have our reward.

We should remember where we were three years ago, back then we only had 32 points with 2 games to go, two years ago early in Ralph's reign after 27 games we only had 24 points and where still in the bottom 3, a year ago when football was suspended we had played 29 games and had 34 points.

That shows that even after this horrendous run we are still ahead of where we have been in the last few years, perhaps this season won't see a top 10 finish although we are still only 5 points off Arsenal in 10th.

But we can go forward now with confidence we have broken the hoodoo and although we probably have to write off the trip to Manchester City in midweek given their winning streak, we then have a run of games where we can get points on the board and not only put lingering relegation worries to bed but secure a solid finish to the season and you never know perhaps two trips to Wembley.

These are different times, both in the World today and football, it was never going to be normal, but we have perhaps the best suited manager for this football club that we have had since Lawrie McMenemy, we should all be behind him in the work he is doing, yes he will make mistakes, but show me a manager in the Premier League that hasn't had issues at some point.

To end on a topical note when did Prince Harry start playing in our midfield, Stuart Armstrong looks more like him every week.

Photo: Action Images

davidargyll added 09:54 - Mar 7 I may have been a shade nervous ahead of the game but, as the second half went on, I found myself thinking of what the old MAD magazine used to say, “ “What me - worry?” We could have scored two or three more no doubt but there were still so many good things about our performance. Of course, if the Blades had better (any?) finishers, we could easily have shipped at least a couple of goals by half time. (The fact that they are equally worst in all Europe for goals scored speaks volumes.). And Yes, we do still get caught because we all move high up the pitch as part of our good old pressing game, so a long ball over the top and, as we all are aware of now, disaster potentially looms. But Hey, for once the ref and luck were both on our side, we won and, in the end, we won convincingly so are now three points closer to safety. The stand-outs for me were: 1. of course Nathan Tella; what a talent, what pace, what a fighter...and a nice ball over the top for him to get on to which drew the penalty; he has certainly bought his future starting place. 2. Diallo - one nearly disastrous pass aside, looked increasingly comfortable on the ball and his positioning was excellent. 3. Che - WHAT...A...STRIKE! And he worked much harder than he has done for ages, so maybe a couple of weeks on the bench has convinced him he’s not an automatic choice up front, made him that much more determined and sharpened him up. 4. Timo - like Che worked so much harder than previously, he was all over the pitch. Shame it wasn’t him who would have been much cleverer in he’d had the scoring opportunities that Redmond and Che had when blasting straight at the goalie. 5. Overall there was a definite “if in any doubt, play safe and kick it into touch” mentality, so much more so than in previously. I noticed particularly FF and JV but there were others, so a massive improvement. 6. Fraser. We did seem to concede quite a few corners but FF took the sting out of at least three of them. I have so much more confidence in him than AM. A couple of other things. JWP not taking anything like as many kicks as usual. I hope that isn’t a sign of anything wrong and is simply a case of giving someone else a go. KWP, great to have him back but understandably was a bit anonymous. SA continues to be such an exciting player, always showing a burst of unpredictable pace when he gets the ball. And Danny...perhaps what happened to him has a silver lining in that the rest of the team will now have to really turn it on without him for maybe a few weeks. A blessing in disguise in that he has been off-colour for weeks...?

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halftimeorange added 09:55 - Mar 7 I thought that our defending early on was at best, patchy. A worrying amount of space behind our last line of defence at free kicks. It would be ungenerous to dwell on that though as we looked more and more secure as the game went on and the team grew accustomed to playing together again in their preferred positions. One point I would make is there was no tippy-tapping by Fraser Forster around the penalty area tempting errors from our own defenders. By and large he hoofed the ball upfield and I though his kicking was pretty accurate. He also started some quick attacks by throwing the ball out of his area, something we haven't seen for some time. Like many fans, I was delighted Tella started. I hope Redmond watched closely as his young usurper worried the life out of a makeshift Sheffield defence, an unpredictability we haven't seen of late. A little less greediness by our attackers and we surely would have added to our goal tally. Che adams hasn't scored many but, when he does his goals are things of beauty. It would be great if we could put together a few more wins without Danny Ings. His absence could get the forwards believing they can do it themselves and that Tella is the missing piece from our jigsaw. Danny's latest injury might persuade him his future is better served at Saints than chasing rainbows further afield. All round, relief and satisfaction yesterday.

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A1079 added 10:17 - Mar 7 It was a good competent and professional win which I think is all we hoped for. One swallow doth not a summer make, so I will see how we perform in the next few games to see if we really have turned a corner or whether this was a good performance against a poor team effectively doomed. But, we needed the win and you can only beat what is in front of you. Man City will be a different proposition and though most of us take it as read we will lose, lets hope it is a respectable defeat, if there is such a thing as a respectable defeat. Brighton will be a test because we should be able to compete against them but I don't think Brighton are as poor as their results suggest. The only frustration yesterday was that we did not convert more of our chances which would have helped reduce our goal deficit. Scoring is still a problem. Tella was impressive and I am pleased as hopefully that will also act as a kick up the backside for Redmond. If it doesn't then the latter can expect more time on the bench. I almost detect feint praise in your piece Nick of our defence and I look forward to some feint praise of your fellow Saints fans one day. On the whole I think Saints fans are extremely supportive of their club and team and do not press the manager must go button as soon as things do not go well. These last few seasons have been testing and just because we may criticise and not always wear rose tinted glasses it does not mean we are against the team, the manager or the club. Hopefully the result yesterday will be a springboard to some better results in what remains of the season.

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Block8 added 10:33 - Mar 7 Three points, a settled back line, KWP playing well within his self and not pushing his body too hard, which was pleasing. Tella's pace, along with Minamino, gave us out balls from the back, that allowed us to transition quickly. That for me was the difference to how we have been playing but at least twice we reverted to type and went from the edge of their box, back to the edge of ours, giving them an opportunity to strike! To be fair to Sheffield, their injury list, particularly at the back, is worse than ours was and we may not find so much space against Man City. Danny looks like he could be out for a while, so perhaps Che Adams can get a run as main striker but Tella has shown that given a chance perhaps we still have some youngsters that could save us some money?

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SaintPaulVW added 10:41 - Mar 7 Tella was superb. The 'good problem to have' now comes in where to play him to get the best advantage. He terrorised SU defence right from the start. Big shout out to KWP. He really showed what we have been missing. Stopped and turned SU around on numerous occasions. Great goal from Adams. I just hope that the goal settles Adams and he doesn't get stuck with the idea he needs to blast everything. Tella, Armstrong, Minamino and Redmond all had good chances which might have gone in on another day. Finally they didn't show it on MOTD but Fleck's tackle on Che looked like a straight red to me. Credit to Che for getting on with it. The reaction from the Saints players showed we have no problem with team spirit. On to Man City. Hopefully, they are due a bump in the road. COYR

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saintmark1976 added 10:41 - Mar 7 Apart from their keeper Sheffield were absolute dross and should have been beaten by five or six goals. They looked what they obviously are, a team relegated weeks ago. However, as A1079 says, you can only beat what is in front of you. Interestingly Adams was Man of the Match but was not selected to play initially. Ings getting injured early doors may well have been a blessing in disguise for Ralph on the day. In reference to the Ings contract situation. I seriously wonder if the Club should now completely withdraw their offer of a new contract.The player has been a shadow of his former self following his injury at Aston Villa. He gives me the impression of a player approaching Thirty years of age who’s long list of injuries are starting to catch up with him.

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Farlow added 11:15 - Mar 7 Ralph has certainly got the message through to Minamino who put in a great shift.Hopefully Tella is in to stay.I hope Walker Peters ups his game against City or we will be crucified. Now Ings is becoming a sick note again maybe hell sign a new contract and start performing again.Ithought Ward Prowse was immense yesterday some of the stuff he does in tight places is Superb. Fraser Forster is still as fond of crosses as Dracula.

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highfield49 added 11:18 - Mar 7 Satisfying result, good team selection and good substitutions. Totally agree with SaintPaul concerning Fleck's dangerous and crude lunge at Adams. Tella was everything that Redmond hasn't been for some time and was an absolute handful for the United defenders. I suspect that some of those on the bench yesterday will feature mid week to try and ensure that the strongest team features against Brighton. Beat Brighton and Bournemouth and the season will look so much better than recent form has suggested.

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SanMarco added 11:39 - Mar 7 As we won I am happy to put the slow start down to the three players coming back into the side and finding their way. It is true we should have had more but let's save the goals for when they matter. Having said that the number of goals in the side is still a concern. Wonder goals, penalties and JWP free-kicks are not enough in the long-term. We need to be putting in some of those bread and butter good chances. Defensively I believe we have got a decent first choice back line now. With Diallo and JWP in front of it we should be solid enough. Always more injuries to worry about though. Tella is proving an interesting introduction to the team - shame he didn't finish off a good performance by getting the goal - but that one was a good save. SA very good and JWP quietly efficient + FF and the CBs did all they had to. Interesting comment on Ings from saintmark - this is a saga that will run for a while I fear. He isn't old, he should be in his prime but he is 'injury-prone'. I believe his quieter performances lately are due to fitness fears rather than contracts. Also he does need his team mates to create chances for him and that hasn't happened much lately. I believe the club should allow whatever 'release' fee he wants and go from there. Whatever happens we need another goal-scorer for next season. Only four league goals from open play since before Christmas, and two of those scored by a temporary player isn't top ten form. Oh and yes - I thought SA was offside, was waiting for the dreaded "VAR is checking for an offside in the build-up" phrase from the commentators. Perhaps our luck has finally turned!!

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underweststand added 11:54 - Mar 7 When was the last time I read a thread with so many positive points ? Of course we are all right. A good performance, which might easily have been 4-0 or more, and United tried hard but weren't in the game for long periods. I think the ref. was kind to Sheffield (losing 0-2 in the 89th minute) when Fleck fouled Adams, and a few other refs. would have shown him a red - without any doubt. I'm still looking for Redmond to re-invent himself, and show up as he did in the season he scored 9 or 10 goals - but it just isn't there. Tella looks good, and we can hope that he is growing into the role and is not just a flash in the pan for a handful of games. Whilst it was easy for Forster to come back from Celtic with renewed confidence, he does look a different man, AND if he can keep a clean sheet on Wed. v Man City, I'd say he's worth a run for the rest of the season. I've nothing against McCarthy but like strikers goalies also have their poor runs of form, and Alex has had a horrendous time of late.

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1962saint added 12:01 - Mar 7 Although Ings has not been in good form recently I feel that he would have scored a few in this game. Obviously he would have taken the penalty and could have got more in the 2nd half when we cut through their defence in the numerous breakaways. Minamino missed a sitter and misplaced some passes – He isn’t as good as I thought in his first appearances and it is clearer now why Klopp allowed him to go on loan. Sheff Utd are poor when at full strength and yesterday they were had plenty of first teamers missing (we know the feeling). The positive was that we didn’t just struggle to edge the 3 points but won convincingly. With our injury record this season I hope that many of players are rested for the Man C game on Wednesday. I know that it could result in another sizeable defeat but with a full team playing we are most unlikely to avoid losing. This is not negative just pragmatic – just look at the previous 21 teams they have beaten. Concentrate on the following fixture v Brighton and then the cup match v Bournemouth. Neither will be easy.

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allsaint54 added 12:34 - Mar 7 Look what happens when we start a game without Redmond, we have players looking to go forward at pace. Unfortunately, I'm sure some of the big clubs will have noticed Tella's potential.
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IanRC added 13:53 - Mar 7 Agree with most of what is said above. One other point I would make though is how impressive Jan Bednarak’s positioning is, I have lost count of how many times he has cut out dangerous crosses. I think someone said he has the highest number of interceptions in the European leagues. Given that I can forgive the odd unlucky old goal. Hopefully on to a good show against Man City, doesn’t one of our strikers like scoring wonder goals against them ?

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AmericanSaint added 16:00 - Mar 7 Well we got the win and we can all breathe a little better. Lots of good comments here and just to add a few. Diallo was rusty but man did he almost cost us right at the halftime. I think FF had good game and it was so obvious that SU were fouling him on every cross. He seems to have realized he cant let crosses come in without doing something in his 6-yard box. I also like that he came out 3 times to clear an over the top ball which shows his positioning was very good to support the CBs. I think that Tella's performance is a sign to Redmond that his time as a starter is over and that is why he took that shot on the counter attack, instead of slotting in SA for an easy goal. I think that Minamino played much better, especially on his defensive duties as he tracked back many times to shut down cross of put a body in between passing lanes. One thing I noticed about him was that when he got the ball on a turnover, he immediately was looking to counter attack, especially in the second half. To me that is positive play. Lots of positives here that we can build on and I hope that we keep a level head and just play a simple strong game against MC this week. COYR. P.S. - I wont speed about Ingsy as there is something wrong there and I think we will only find out what after the fact.

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bornonthemiltonroad added 16:02 - Mar 7 Anyone else thinking that Mario Lemina is the fourth holding midfielder that we’re needing?
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SanMarco added 16:16 - Mar 7 You've been watching the tele this afternoon bornonthemiltonroad
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schatfield added 17:29 - Mar 7 Tella was easily man of the match. Sheffield couldnt handle him hence all the yellow cards they got for hacking him down (motd showed none of this). Ralph had made a gem here
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DellBoyWally added 18:47 - Mar 7 As I said last evening "funny ole game"! After what seems eons we won but I wasn't my usual ebullient self. More an acceptance of job done; and a long time from going 2 up! Highlights were Tella, Adams and Armstrong, defence did what was needed, and the commentator admitted to being in awe of FF! Diallo and KWP looked a tad rusty, unsurprisingly, but didn't go all out crazy to overcome errors. It was certainly more like early season. Possession, chances, some iffy moments at the back, goal scoring iffy up front. Why do people talk about Redmond as if he is good? In his years in the PL he had 1 good season, 2 yrs ago. Get rid, along with a few others, bring in experienced, reliable seniors to guide the youngsters. We've seen the type - Romeu has become one! We need 2 LBs - heir presumptive to Bertie and cover. Cover at RB A striker in the mould of Grazziano as alternative to Tella/Adams strike partnership. With Stuey on the right, Djenepo on the left as AMs and maybe some cover, we have 3 good DMs, 3 good CBs. Get rid:- Redmond, Stephens, Ings. Keep, perhaps, Minamino as AM backup. Don't keep Walcott.

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Farlow added 19:12 - Mar 7 We pay 10mill for Diallo and sell Harry Reed for 5mill who was superb for Fulham again Today is that good buusiness?
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arthurfane added 19:55 - Mar 7 Farlow - both are absolute steals in my opinion. Reed didn't want to stay and (injury crisis aside) just wouldn't have got enough football this season). I think Diallo better AND he's 5 years younger. In the summer we desperately need the board to support Ralph and provide the depth he's saying he needs. When everyone's fit, we look like a top-6 side, when we have 3 or 4 injuries we are relegation fodder. I think we need: - New contract for Bertrand and a backup LB. - SIgn backup RB, Ramsey not yet good enough. Sell Valery. - 1 more young, up and coming CM (JWP, Diallo & Romeu great options) - Sell Redmond, sign another 'number 10' - Either extend Ings contract, or spend the money we get from his sale on a replacement

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JoeEgg added 20:45 - Mar 7 Yes it was a much better performance from the Saints but Sheffield Utd are the bottom team for goodness sake and without a number of regulars. Once again the inability to put the ball in the back of the net from open play (The Adam's goal excepted) was there for all to see. Ings will be out for several weeks and there is no clear replacement for him. When Nick refers to Saints teams and best suited managers he has clearly forgotten that glorious Koeman season when we slaughted the best teams in the league including our next opponents Man City! Man City have just lost to Man Utd ending their great run of successes. They will relesh the chance of getting back to winning ways against Saints. This game will be the true test of the current strength and confidence of our squad!

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Farlow added 21:57 - Mar 7 dissagree with arthurfane Diallo is not tough enough to easily knocked off the ball.Although Reed is short hes tough.The main weakness with Saints is a lack of strength.
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Farlow added 21:57 - Mar 7 dissagree with arthurfane Diallo is not tough enough to easily knocked off the ball.Although Reed is short hes tough.The main weakness with Saints is a lack of strength.
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arthurfane added 14:46 - Mar 8 Each to their own I guess, Farlow but I guess the downvotes suggest you're in the minority. He made a mistake against Sheffield that we could've been punished for, but he's rusty after a period of time out. He was brilliant in the game against Liverpool which, I think, was a glimpse of what he's capable of. You need to remember he's only 21 and has come from a much less physical league in France. We can't expect him to slot into the Prem seamlessly, but he's made a very good start I think.

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wibbersda added 17:18 - Mar 8 We won because of the following 1. Redmond didn't start 2. Vesty was pumping forward balls continually 3. FF didn't gift the opposition chances like AM would have 4. Beders back in his correct position 5. KWP back
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