Three games unbeaten, scoring in the last four, and comfortably midtable ten games into the season – and yet Saints are under pressure.

Their next game, at home to Burnley feels pretty important right now.

You never quite know whether that will prove the case with hindsight at the end of the season, but at this stage it feels quite vital.

With a nightmare run of games to come after the next international break, and having had such a kind fixture list thus far, Saints need points on the board.

They have just one match left – that game against the Clarets at St Mary’s – from the four match burst that has looked as if it will make or break their ambitions for the season.

Games against Newcastle, West Brom, Brighton and Burnley, with three at home, seemed an ideal chance to get some momentum and ensure that if results don’t come too freely against the top six sides that there is a bit of insurance already in the bank.

So far it is five points from three of those games, which is not really enough. If they bump it up to eight from the four games with a win over Burnley then it is about the bare minimum you would have hoped for. Any less and there is a cause for concern.

Saints might do really well against the top six sides, but the top six are the top six for a reason – they win most of their matches.

Mauricio Pellegrino’s team do not want to feel as if they have to get points from those games. Those should be the bonus ones you pick up in a campaign.

But the pressure rises if you haven’t converted in the games you should have done.

A point at Brighton is not a bad result, but given Saints held the lead at half time having barely conceded a chance, it felt like another opportunity to win that failed to be converted.

Pellegrino made some interesting changes to his side, and his switch to more of a 4-1-4-1 formation, against a side that pretty much played 4-4-2, had the desired impact in the first half.

But it unravelled a little in the second as Saints allowed the impetus to shift and paid the price as a gettable two points slipped away.

At the same time the search for Pellegrino’s best team goes on, you feel.

After the wonder goal against West Brom, Sofiane Boufal was given a chance, but it didn’t really work out, and so it may well be back to the drawing board.

Although the first half at the Amex Stadium was nothing much to write home about in terms of entertainment, it was exactly what the doctor ordered for Saints.

It was they who were in control, and even out of possession seemingly bossing the game in terms of the tempo and rhythm, enjoying their chance to play the deeper role away from home.

That was helped massively by grabbing an early goal.

Saints had looked threatening from the kick-off, with James Ward-Prowse unfortunate not to find a teammate alert to the possibility of his cut back from the right by-line after just three minutes.

However, it wasn’t long before the recalled midfielder played a decisive role in Saints’ opener on eight minutes.

He whipped a superb free kick from 20 yards up and over the wall and saw it clatter the near post. Steven Davis was in the right place at the right time to convert into an unguarded net with a stooping header from just outside the six yard box.

Saints were largely comfortable for the rest of the half.

The most damage they caused was Dusan Tadic’s shot which was deflected wide, but it was their discipline and ability to blunt any Brighton rhythm that was most impressive.

Indeed, the Seagulls only truly went close once as Anthony Knockaert got in a right wing cross from inside the area that Glenn Murray headed over the bar under good pressure from Virgil van Dijk.

In the same way that Saints’ early goal was a decisive moment in the first period, so it was in the second as Brighton levelled up seven minutes after the restart.

It was a poor one from Saints who couldn’t clear when they had the chance and didn’t get the luck of a decision as referee Neil Swarbrick didn’t give a handball against Knockaert in the build-up.

It all ended with Pascal Gross standing up a cross from the right which found Glenn Murray at the far post having intelligently peeled off to be marked only by the diminutive Cedric Soares.

It was a total mismatch in the air and though Murray’s header wasn’t the most powerful, and potentially got a slight touch off of Cedric, Forster couldn’t get back across at his near post quickly enough to keep it out.

Buoyed by extra confidence and belief, Brighton were a much greater danger.

Murray fired wide at the near post, Jose Izquierdo’s shot was blocked by Virgil van Dijk and Shane Duffy sliced hopelessly wide from a decent shooting position in the area as they looked for another.

Other than a few moments when the game got stretched late on, Saints posed far less attacking threat in the second half.

Manolo Gabbiadini had a shot blocked by a strong near post challenge while Wesley Hoedt headed wide after Brighton failed to clear a free kick.

In the end it was honours even, and not a bad point for Saints, but, nonetheless, one that really leaves them needing a win against Burnley to have calm before the storm.