CELEBRATION TIME: Andrew Surman and Bradley Wright-Phillips congratulate goalscorer Jhon Viafara.
THERE have been plenty of questions asked of Saints over the past couple of weeks. On Saturday they provided the perfect response.
Yes, we know George Burley's team can score goals.
We know they can play good, attractive football, the way most people want to see it played.
We know they can entertain the crowd and provide matches that keep people talking.
That side of the game is the hardest thing to do and yet Saints manage it almost with ease.
Yet not that many sides play expansive, high tempo, passing, attacking football.
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The reason? You're either scared your players aren't as good as the opposition's or you're worried about what will happen at the back.
Saints have continued to stick to their principles - they will never change while Burley is in charge.
But they have doubtless had problems with conceding goals.
They have been flying in at both ends and it's been an area of major concern for Saints because if you're liable to concede regularly it's going to put pressure on you no matter how many you can score.
After the disappointment of Watford, Colchester and Barnsley where individual and collective defensive errors had cost so dear, Saints gave a timely display of defensive frugalness at Bramall Lane.
They still stuck to their guns in trying to move the ball about, hit the feet of the strikers, get it out wide and play their way through.
But as a unit, as a team, they were collectively strong.
It was a different, resilient side to Saints that we haven't seen too much of this season and it's one we want to see again because, combined with goalscoring prowess, it will deliver results.
Burley set his team out with a slightly different formation in the first half.
It was a 4-5-1 when Saints were defending and a 4-3-2-1 when Saints were attacking, Nathan Dyer on the left and Bradley Wright-Phillips on the right the men tucking in or pushing on to support Grzegorz Rasiak.
Youssef Safri and Andrew Surman just sat in front of the defence and moved the ball around, while Jhon Viafara was also given license to support and use his boundless energy to get all over the pitch.
Terrific win for Saints. Bramall Lane is a hard place to go and against a decent side Saints deserved to take all three points. It was a display of good football but also strong and resilient defending –
It worked well and even when Saints switched to a more conventional 4-4-2 that steely determination to show an improvement at the back lived on.
Sheffield United are rather reminiscent in some ways of Saints when they first came down from the Premiership.
They were only up a season compared to Saints' 27 but, even so, they are still going through that period of adjustment.
They weren't the best on the day but, even so, Saints were full value for their three points.
It seemed the defensive frailties were going to be cruelly exposed again when United took the lead after just 12 minutes.
The ball was allowed into the right-hand attacking channel, Alexander Ostlund, left back in a defensive reshuffle, was beaten inside by Keith Gillespie who finished across Kelvin Davis into the bottom corner.
At that stage, and with the attacking powers of United, you feared for Saints.
But they were determined, dogged and resilient and got themselves back level just seven minutes later.
Rasiak made a tremendous run, was played in by Wright-Phillips and sure enough the in-form striker made no mistake from inside the area.
On the half-hour mark Saints took the lead. Safri floated in a deep free kick, Paddy Kenny came charging out and only half punched clear to Viafara who slid in from the edge of the area to finish with the keeper still stranded.
It almost got even better for Saints when Phil Ifil, on an impressive debut, whipped in a peach of a right-wing cross.
Rasiak slammed in a header at the far post that was flying in but for the intervention of Gary Cahill who was facing the other way and was hit on the back of the head by the ball.
The second half was a case of whether Saints could stand firm under United pressure - and they did.
They were strong and fearless but ultimately comfortable, James Beattie having a day to forget against his former team.
It was Saints who came nearer to another goal, Derek Geary clearing Marek Saganowski's header from Safri's corner off the line.
It was a performance that showed the best of Saints can still exist when the worst is put right.
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