IN-FORM striker Peter Crouch described Saints' win over Liverpool as his side's best performance of the season.

Saints dominated throughout with Crouch playing as a lone frontman in a new-look 4-5-1 formation.

Harry Redknapp's men thoroughly deserved only their third league win of the season.

It was only their second in 22 Premiership matches and their third in 28 league attempts - a run stretching back to last April.

Crouch scored the second to make it three goals in three successive league and cup games. He has now scored five goals in seven starts plus one as a sub since Redknapp replaced Steve Wigley in early December.

Crouch did not make a single Premiership start under Paul Sturrock or Steve Wigley but Redknapp's arrival has brought out the best in him.

Crouch was the only player at Saints to have worked under Redknapp before the latter's arrival at St Mary's - he was at Fratton in 2001/02 when Redknapp started the season as director of football to Graham Rix.

He has now netted five goals in six Premiership starts plus nine as a sub - compared to six top flight goals for Aston Villa in 20 starts plus 17 as a sub from March 2002 to the end of last season.

"Without a doubt it was best performance of the season," enthused Crouch.

"A lot of people expected us to get nothing but with the players we've got we knew we could.

"We also knew that we had been unlucky in recent weeks.

"It was a great start for us (scoring so early) and it gave us the confidence to go on and get the other, and thank God this time we held on."

He added: "In the Premiership these days once you get one win you seem to go on a run and we need that run now.

"There's a lot of games to be won.

"You probably could have heard the noise in our dressing room from outside the stadium after the game.

"It was a massive win for us and we were all buoyant and the manager was very pleased as well.

"Beating someone like Liverpool at home with a 2-0 victory is a terrific result and we need to keep it going for the rest of the season now."

Crouch was also pleased with how the new 4-5-1 formation worked, but admits Saints may have to revert back to their trusted 4-4-2 system when top scorer Kevin Phillips returns to fitness.

He said: "Being up there on my own against top quality centre halves is difficult. I was trying to get stuck in, hold the ball up and let the other lads join in.

"Rory and David Prutton were braking and it worked well for us.

"It worked this weekend but with Kevin Phillips being injured it was forced upon us to play that way. "I'm sure when Kevin's fit he'll come back in.

"Since I've come into the side I've felt really confident, but I need to be consistent until the end of the season."