RALPH Hasenhuttl's risk paid off at Stamford Bridge.

Resting key striker Danny Ings was a sensible decision given the number of fixtures Saints will play over the Christmas period.

And he was rewarded with his bravery when Michael Obafemi gave the St Mary's outfit the lead in sensational fashion.

Not only would that have pleased Hasenhuttl, Nathan Redmond finally got himself on the scoresheet after a 13-game drought in front of goal.

For weeks now, the Austrian has been saying how the winger needs just one shot to go in to give him his confidence back.

And if the previous campaign is anything to by, Saints can expect a handful of Redmond goals from now until May.

Obafemi's last and only Premier League strike came against Huddersfield last December, only for the youngster to then pick up a hamstring injury days later.

Because that robbed him of a chance to embark on a scoring run of his own, the striker will be desperate to take his chance this time.

And given no one expected Saints to beat Chelsea, especially with Ings on the bench, it would make sense for Hasenhuttl to stick with the same starting XI on Saturday.

Yes, Crystal Palace is a game they could do with winning in front of their own fans, but Thursday's result takes a little bit of pressure off the occasion.

Che Adams put in a solid shift in attack with Obafemi and help the ball up multiple times to allow the rest of his teammates to catch up with the play.

It's been a tough start to life at Saints for the £15m man, after finding himself out of the team following the loss to Bournemouth back in September.

During his spell in the starting XI at the beginning of the campaign he did everything but score, with some of his performances more than deserving of a goal.

As well as a great result on the Stamford Bridge pitch, the St Mary's side found themselves lucky off it.

They were also boosted by both Norwich and Watford losing, extending their points lead over the Premier League's bottom two to eight [Watford] and nine [Watford].

Their win moved their total to 21 points for the campaign, setting them well on their way to securing the golden 40 by May.