THE flare that was chucked on to the pitch when the score turned 3-0 was, unfortunately, the closest any Saints player came to a real sparkle on Saturday.

It came from the Manchester United end - the same as just about all the dangerous action from this FA Cup quarter-final tie.

Indeed, the match proved to be a strangely anti-climatic occasion.

In the build-up, there had somehow been a buzz about Southampton which suggested that an upset was possible.

Saints were on good form with just one defeat in nine and were aiming to set a new unbeaten record at St Mary's of 16 consecutive games.

United, on the other hand, were having to come to terms with a past seven days that had seen them suffer a Champions League exit as well as concede two points and probably any realistic hope of overhauling Chelsea for the Premier League title.

But that old adage about form, class and permanence proved true.

Few can sensibly argue that Saints have a better squad than United, yet the hope was that this could be an occasion when the Cup would be a great leveller.

It wasn't. Indeed, the events in the build-up to Saturday actually only widened the gap in United's favour.

Saints' priority this season has naturally become Premiership survival.

United's, on the other hand, is lifting silverware and recent results have meant that the FA Cup is probably their only chance. It is, therefore, the most important competition for Sir Alex Ferguson's men.

The differing priorities for each club also came to be reflected in the respective teams.

Ferguson selected what was virtually his best XI with the likes of Rio Ferdinand, Roy Keane, Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney and Ruud Van Nistelrooy all on show.

Saints boss Harry Redknapp was less fortunate with the fitness of several of his key players.

Graeme Le Saux, Rory Delap, Antti Niemi and Jamie Redknapp all had varying question-marks hanging over them and could not be risked, while Nigel Quashie was Cup-tied.

The result was Saints having to field a sub-strength side against a highly-motivated team who also happen to be among the very best in Europe.

It was, in hindsight, the perfect recipe for a 4-0 defeat. And yet, in fairness to Saints, they were in the game until the second goal.

The visitors had generally been in top, but Saints had still looked highly dangerous through Peter Crouch and Henri Camara until that point, demonstrating they can cause problems for any defence.

Yet the second goal gave United a cushion that felt like a huge, feathered pillow - one which simultaneously deflated Saints for whom the midfield was largely anonymous.

Boss Redknapp has virtually found his settled starting XI in the league and few that were given their chance on Saturday made a serious case for inclusion.

It's particularly disappointing for Matt Oakley who is a player with the quality to pressurise the likes of Redknapp and Quashie in the centre.

But after spending more than a year out of football, it appears he will need far more matches to rediscover the sharpness and level of influence he consistently displayed prior to his knee injury.

Elsewhere, Saturday also confirmed Olivier Bernard is more comfortable at left-back than left-midfield.

Yet, while the distant dreams of another FA Cup final have now been dashed, the anticipation of the season has hardly dimmed.

Premier League survival has been the challenge for a long time now, and nothing has changed.