AT training on Thursday, Gordon Strachan and Anders Svensson were joking about next summer's World Cup and the previous weekend's draw in Pusan which had pitted Sweden in the same group as England.

"I told Anders that if he scores the winner against England, he wouldn't need to do any hard running ever again," recalled the passionate Scot, with a devilish twinkle in his eye.

"I told him he could even pick and choose his training times!"

So what price a World Cup winning goal, and what value a precious victory at Leicester, with the 25-year-old midfielder scoring twice - his first goals in the Premiership?

If Svensson has got anything about him, he will have been straight into the manager's office at Staplewood this morning demanding the entire week off training!

Never mind West Ham's win at Old Trafford, this was the performance of the weekend.

Southampton won at a canter, and with plenty to spare to crucially move out of the bottom three once again.

Leicester didn't lose this game - sure if they had taken their chances during a tricky 20 minute period in the first half the complexion of the game could have changed dramatically - but Saints won this with a style and panache with left one national newspaper reporter confessing: "I can't believe Southampton are struggling in the bottom three if they are playing like this."

And even Leicester manager, Dave Bassett, who had lamented after the high of their victory at Aston Villa seven days earlier how football was simply a game of snakes and ladders, took his hat off to Strachan's side.

"You could tell from the fans that Southampton were here for the slaughter and that this was an easy six-pointer, but football is not like that," said Bassett.

"Southampton started well, they were brighter than we were, and they were hungrier."

Saints' high-tempo passing game simply tore the Foxes to shreds.

The incisive movement off the ball, the quickness and surety of pass was just breathtaking at times.

Even the Filbert Street crowd rose to applaud Southampton's play.

"We have been trying to play that way all season," admitted Strachan.

"But when you get the goals you can sustain it for longer, and we were able to play that high-tempo game for the entire 90 minutes.

"Goals make you feel better about yourselves, and that is what happened today."

Svensson's only goals since his £700,000 summer move from Elfsborg have come in the Worthington Cup.

But after 12 minutes on Saturday, he opened his Premiership account with a cool finish.

Paul Jones' clearance was headed on by James Beattie to Marian Pahars, he slipped the ball through to the Swede who shrugged off the challenge of Frank Sinclair to bury a thumping shot past Ian Walker. One-nil and game on.

Enter goalkeeper Jones who produced an inspired performance to prevent Leicester from equalising.

Within two minutes of the opener, Dennis Wise twice flighted in crosses to James Scowcroft who headed wide with the first, and then Jones smothered the second effort from close range.

Out-of-sorts Ade Akinibyi showed why he is a man shorn of confidence and overpriced at £5million.

His awful first touch after 35 minutes saw the ball squirm away off his shins after Beattie had miscontrolled the ball inside the penalty area, and a gilt-edged chance went begging.

His second miss, for minutes later, was even worse. Alan Rogers put the Nigerian international through, and he scuffed his shot across the face of goal with only Jones to beat. It was poor he didn't even get the shot on target.

Akinbiyi at least forced Jones into a save a minute from half-time, as he and Scowcroft played a one-two inside Claus Lundekvam, and the Saints stopper blocked well.

A goal then could have been crucial, two could have been devastating. But if you don't take your chances, you don't win matches.

Saints, on the other hand, had six shots on target the entire game and made four count.

Both Marian Pahars and Beattie worked their socks off up front, and the two frontmen combined for the second goal after 63 minutes.

Pahars burst down the right wing, crossed low to Beattie who nipped inside defender Matthew Heath to fire home first time.

Bassett was critical of his team at that stage, believing they just threw in the towel and weren't prepared to chase the game.

He was right. Leicester were poor and lethargic, and Saints profited.

Eleven minutes later, Paul Telfer cut in from the right wing, his shot hit Frank Sinclair, broke nicely for Svensson who, despite the attentions of Andrew Impey, got his shot in and beat Walker from 10 yards out.

The coup de grace fell to Pahars right on full-time. Again the move stemmed from the right hand side. This time Dodd got to the by-line, he squared to Pahars at the far post, who stepped inside Impey and slammed the ball into the far corner. Game over.

In midweek, Strachan had demanded more goals from his midfield to take the pressure off his forwards and he got them.

For Anders Svensson, the bragging rights are his this week.