If you are chasing a large number of consecutive wins for any purpose, you will need to perform the odd rescue act to get something out of a game you might have lost.

Saints rescued a point when they looked like they wouldn’t get one at Brighton last night.

But the big question is whether that solitary point is enough when it comes to the tricky mathematics of gaining enough to reach the top six by the end of the campaign.

Saints were a very different proposition to the team that destroyed Carlisle at Wembley.

In their defence they were on a very different surface at the Withdean Stadium and against opposition in terrific form – this was arguably their trickiest remaining fixture this season.

But whereas Saints’ success at Wembley was largely borne out of positivity, they seemed a little tentative at the Withdean.

There was no lack of effort but Saints started sluggishly.

They also matched up Brighton with a sort of 4-5-1 formation which seemed to inhibit their attacking, passing game at times.

Saints are so good, their team is so dangerous when it attacks, even at difficult places and against in form teams like Brighton, they can blow anyone away when they go for it.

But it was only at the end they really went for it, and when they did they looked so effective.

Brighton, with five wins in their previous seven games to move well away from the relegation area, dominated much of the first half until Saints got started to get a foothold.

After Rickie Lambert’s shot across goal just evaded Michail Antonio sliding in, Brighton got well on top.

Glenn Murray, who had scored twice in the 3-1 win at St Mary’s last November, had two terrific chances to give the Seagulls the lead.

On five minutes Marcos Painter drilled a cross in from the right that found Murray free at the far post, but his first time finish from 12 yards out sailed well over the bar.

He had far more time to decide what he wanted to do five minutes later when a ball down the right gave Inigo Calderon the chance to square a pass to Murray.

The striker was through one-on-one with Kelvin Davis but fired his finish over once more.

The reprieve for Saints was only temporary, however, as they fell behind on 12 minutes.

A deep free-kick broke to Andrew Crofts on the right and he cut the ball back to the edge of the area, finding Elliott Bennett whose rasping shot flew past Davis and into the top corner.

For most of the rest of the half Saints were simple trying to resist Brighton pressure.

Though Lambert and Wotton fired narrowly off target while Dean Hammond’s bundled effort from a free-kick was saved by the keeper, Saints were at times really hanging on.

Their usual attacking, fluent football was sadly lacking as loose passes and hopeless long balls ruled.

For all that, though, they looked like getting themselves off the hook when they got a leveller four minutes before half time.

Jason Puncheon delivered a quality inswinging left footed free kick from the right that was flicked into the net by the head of ex-Brighton star Hammond from six yards out.

It may have been that largely undeserved equaliser that made Pardew decide to keep faith with his formation and personnel at the break.

But the game continued in the same pattern with Saints unchanged, albeit with the team a little less lacklustre.

Jason Puncheon showed why Pardew decided to play him through the middle rather than out wide on 55 minutes when he went alone from deep and drilled a shot just wide.

The same man forced Peter Brezovan into a near post block with his chest, but when Gus Poyet brought on Kazenga Lua Lua, all pace and direct running down the left, it was a decisive move.

He nicked the ball past Jose Fonte on 64 minutes and charged towards goal but Radhi Jaidi kept him relatively wide and he slashed into the side netting.

Just two minutes later LuaLua delivered a peach of a cross that picked out sub Ashley Barnes and his header from an unmarked position went in off the foot of the post for 2-1.

Triple change Pardew did change things around – but not until 75 minutes.

At that stage he made three changes including Lee Barnard and Papa Waigo, going with two up front.

Brighton almost put the game to bed when Barnes poked the ball past Davis but it rolled just wide.

Then though, with all guns blazing, Saints got some late pressure as they chased a goal, knowing they had to get at least one.

But it was a question of whether anything would break for them.

Hammond picked out Brezovan with a shot from the edge of the area before Saints got another equaliser with a minute remaining.

Waigo got to the right by-line and fired in a dangerous low cross that was met in the six yard box by Barnard who sidefooted home for 2-2.

Hammond extended Brezovan again in injury time but Saints had to settle for a draw.

They had got away with one to get a point.

But whether that reprieve proves enough, given what they need to do between now and the end of the season to reach the play-offs, remains to be seen ...