SAINTS 2 - LIVERPOOL 0

But any buoyancy gained on Saturday from only a third victory of the season was quickly tempered by wins for relegation rivals Crystal Palace and West Brom as well as a remarkable draw for Norwich.

Saints have climbed a place in the Premiership table, but Harry Redknapp's men need only look into the steely eyes of Eagles boss Iain Dowie to know they remain involved in a titanic battle.

Still, you can only look after your own performance. On Saturday, Saints were excellent.

It was comfortably the best display of the season and, while it left a season's-best crowd at St Mary's punching the air in delight, it would also have had many scratching their heads at how this impressive team was only picking up its third win in 24 matches.

With five across the midfield, Redknapp's tactics worked to perfection.

And, while a 2-0 win came as a hugely welcome lift to the players and the supporters, it was clearly also very important for the manager.

Everyone is squarely behind the new boss, but Redknapp's determination to maintain a record of never having been relegated from the top-flight clearly weighs heavily on his mind.

On Thursday, he told a Sunday newspaper how the pressure of keeping Saints in the Premiership was affecting his sleep and how assistant Jim Smith fears that the stress of management could seriously damage his health.

Yet on Saturday night, after a first league win at the eighth attempt, a big weight looked to have been lifted from Redknapp's shoulders.

"I've had to lift the players, but the only trouble is that when I go home my wife has to do that for me," he smiled.

"I've been like a nightmare, but thankfully tonight I can enjoy myself and have a glass of red wine.

"Jim Smith said 'Harry, you've been through about ten years in the last two-and-a-half' and I think he's about right."

It was the players, of course, who proved to be the ultimate pressure-relievers on Saturday.

Saints were strong all over the park, although it was the intensity of midfielders David Prutton, Rory Delap and Jamie Redknapp, as well as the outstanding Peter Crouch, who really made the difference.

First on the scoresheet and last off the field after his customary lap around St Mary's applauding the fans, Prutton really wrapped himself around the game.

Saints began at an electric pace and Redknapp's employment of Crouch leading the line while his midfielders broke forward reaped almost immediate rewards with a nerve-settling opener on just five minutes.

Mikael Nilsson's cross was only half-cleared by Sami Hyypia. Prutton was first to the scraps, feeding Crouch who in turn set the Saints midfielder clear.

Prutton briefly looked to have been forced too far wide, but he calmly slotted the ball past Jerzy Dudek.

It was the perfect start, although there remained a fear that Saints could be haunted by the memory of failing to win six matches this season from winning positions.

Yet with Redknapp Jnr the heartbeat at the base of a packed midfield, Liverpool were being smothered while Saints had a platform from which to play.

On 22 minutes, the former Liverpool captain sprayed an incisive pass wide to Prutton.

The Saints midfielder glanced up and crossed perfectly for the unmarked Crouch. A flick of the head and Saints were two goals to the good.

It has taken Crouch longer than some to receive complete acceptance from the St Mary's faithful, but few can argue with six goals from only eight starts as well as a third in successive games.

Saints' new system had been dependant on a big performance from their lone striker and Crouch, with his aerial presence and adhesive touch, played a blinder.

Liverpool could not come to terms with Saints' formation and Delap could have made it 3-0 after just 33 minutes.

He got behind the Reds defence but Dudek narrowed the angle and made a comfortable save.

Liverpool, who had offered virtually no threat during the first-half, improved marginally after the interval when they introduced Florent Sinama Pongolle.

Milan Baros shot inches wide on 51 minutes and moments later Steven Gerrard, who looked far from his best, went closest for the visitors when he teed up Dietmar Hamann's free-kick. His thunderbolt shot flew past Antti Niemi but glanced off the crossbar and high into a relieved Northam Stand.

Saints, though, looked assured with captain Claus Lundekvam giving his best performance of recent months as he and Calum Davenport kept the threat of Baros and £6.3m new boy Fernando Morientes firmly under control.

The opening five minutes had set the tone for a match that will now hopefully do the same for the remainder of the season.

Saturday's victory was hugely encouraging for Saints, but a succession of 'plummet-meetings' still loom against the likes of Palace, Norwich and West Brom.

The truly decisive football is still to come in this most topsy-tervy of seasons.