RORY DELAP hailed a "tremendous" team display, but admitted Saints left Highbury disappointed with only a draw against the champions.

The Irishman looked to have secured a memorable victory when he headed home twice in the space of five minutes from Neil McCann crosses to put Saints 2-1 ahead.

That was after the club's record signing had scored just once in his previous 79 league and cup games for the club!

But a last-gasp equaliser from Robin van Persie denied Steve Wigley his first Premiership win at the ninth attempt.

Delap felt the Saints boss got his tactics right.

"The way the gaffer send us out to play was spot-on and it obviously worked," he said.

"They like to draw the midfield out and suddenly they are gone. The gaffer said to be patient and we had a line to start pressing.

"The other side of that is to let them have it and it worked.

"The two front lads were tremendous and worked very hard and the two banks of four kept the shape. The whole team was tremendous."

He added: "It was a good game to play in. We are all disappointed with the final result. We played well.

"We allowed them to come up but we had a pressing line where we went at them as fast as we could.

"It took them by surprise a couple of times, we had some counter-attacks and it was a pretty even game.

"Mikael hit the post with a great volley and they missed a penalty.

"I'm sure they weren't happy with the way they played but I like to think that was down to us."

Delap now insists the job is to make Saturday's excellent display the turning point of what has been a disappointing season.

"Their penalty miss was maybe that bit of luck we have been missing this season," he said.

"When we went 2-1 up I thought that could have been the bit of luck to go on and win the game.

"It's up to us to take the positives and there were a lot of them.

"It would have been more of a boost to get three points. To go to Highbury and be disappointed is good in one sense, but we still didn't get the result we needed.

"The lads are not panicking. The table doesn't lie, but we have started to score goals now and if we keep doing that we won't be in any trouble.

"It's a totally different game next weekend. We will have to press high and win the ball earlier."

Both Delap's goals came from pin-point crosses and the midfielder was full of praise for substitute McCann's impact.

"I was going in the same place I had been all game," he said.

"Danny has come up and taken my lad away and I've managed to get free.

"They were staying quite deep. The delivery for both goals was tremendous from Macca and I just had to glance it."

Delap also praised Darren Kenton for staying on his feet when he might have won a penalty late in the game at 2-1.

"I wouldn't say it's a flaw, but he was in on goal," he said.

"It's difficult because on another day he could have got a shot off and put us 3-1 up.

"But that's the way we play. Whether it works for you and against you, sometimes I wouldn't have it any different."