The takeaway for Saints from their 1-0 win over Middlesbrough is surely that intensity equals goals.

At the start of the second half they produced a burst of genuine intensity, of pressing, of pace, to find the only goal of the game and to walk away with a much needed three points.

The first half had been played at a much more sedate tempo, and, unsurprisingly, produced no goals for either side.

Saints may have been dumped out of the Europa League, but those advocating a sudden switch to a high intensity, pressing game are likely to be disappointed.

The club still have a daunting run of fixtures to contend with over the next month and a half and so Claude Puel’s logic of trying to keep his side as fresh as possible by playing a deep possession game will probably not shift too much.

But for all the justifiable grumbling over a lack of goals, surely the win against Boro proved there is some sort of happy medium to be struck.

It’s not as if Saints are devoid of attacking talent as some would have you believe, it’s that their style of play at times actually restricts them from being able to deliver.

This was another tipping point game for Saints, and yet again they just about managed to haul themselves back from the brink.

The groans during a tedious first half and the boos at half time were evidence enough that the crowd was about ready to turn if things didn’t improve.

A sudden upsurge at the start of the second period hardly made for a complete rethink, but did at least prove that when Saints can unshackle themselves they can thrive a little more.

Boro didn’t offer an awful lot, besides being highly organised, disciplined and motivated.

They gave Saints little space to work with and allowed them possession in front of them, and it was a struggle to get width or get in behind for Puel’s men.

But, with Boro’s top attacking talent out injured, and Saints also solid at the back, they only looked like really breaking through via an error as opposed to a piece of inspiration.

Saints did suffer an early scare as Viktor Fischer got in behind and managed to skip past two defenders to find Jordan Rhodes. However, Fraser Forster had telegraphed the danger and was in close attendance to stop the reaction shot from close range at his near post.

There were a couple of bright attacking moments from Saints in the first 45 minutes, but they were all too rare.

With Claude Puel calling on his midfield and defence to contribute more goals to ease the burden on the attacking players, he might have been pleased to see two midfielders on the end of them.

Jordy Clasie had two opportunities but sliced wide from just outside the area and also fired off target from just inside the area from Sam McQueen’s left wing cross.

James Ward-Prowse had the other chance as he put Dusan Tadic’s left wing ball in well wide with a header.

Jay Rodriguez really only managed one threatening moment in the half as he picked out the keeper after getting in front of his man to be found by Clasie.

Boro came the closest though as on 34 minutes Ward-Prowse’s misdirected pass put Fischer in on goal.

He went very wide to round Forster and fired in a shot from a tight angle, but Fonte read the danger and was at the near post to block before Cristhian Stuani’s efforts were blocked and then deflected over.

Puel made a change at the break with Nathan Redmond coming on for Tadic, and his injection of pace and a clear determination to prove a point pulled Saints along.

His header back from Cuco Martina’s right wing cross allowed Boufal to get in a shot which was blocked.

But as Saints stepped it up a gear there a sense something was coming.

Boufal delivered it on 53 minutes, firing in a rasping drive from 25 yards out that left Victor Valdes watching on as it went past him into the net.

That seemed to be the queue for the game to revert to more like it had been in the first period.

Saints didn’t need to be much more adventurous, and, oddly, Boro seemed to feel the same too.

Steven Davis headed over on the stretch from another Martina cross, while Rodriguez so nearly got a goal when his excellent downward header off of Ward-Prowse’s corner was cleared off the line by Adam Clayton.

If that was an indication to Rodriguez that maybe it wasn’t quite going to happen for him then so it proved in stoppage time.

Redmond picked the ball up on the left and cut into the box with a jinking run.

His cross found Rodriguez sliding in but from just a couple of yards out he put the ball over the bar.

By the final whistle there were cheers around St Mary’s as the club’s cringe worthy new song belted out around the ground.

Hopefully another tipping point will be a long way off.