REGARDLESS of your prior scepticism, it is impossible to not raise a smile whenever you reflect on Saturday’s performance and result.

Beating Chelsea 1-0 at Stamford Bridge was needed not only for the points on the Premier League table but for the hope and optimism it inspires.

Without the win, which many would have predicted bottom-of-the-table Saints would be without, the St Mary’s side would be six points adrift.

They would be with only one win since October – that 2-1 victory over Everton during Nathan Jones’s eight league games as boss – and potentially with no clean sheet.

Instead, the gap is ultimately just two points and could be fewer or non-existent should Saints defeat Leeds United at Elland Road next Saturday – itself a tough task, admittedly.

I am still steadily cautious. We have seen many a performance on an emotionally-charged afternoon. It is calling on the same energy week-in, week-out, that is needed.

The Saturday at Goodison Park last month felt like a turning point for Jones but, in the end, that was not to be. He was sacked and a deal for the next man – Jesse Marsch – could not be struck.

But there is a lot to like about Saturday’s encounter in the capital. Gavin Bazunu, just 21 years old today, will take great confidence from it, in a position where it is needed most.

The Irishman turned away five shots on target, including top late stops, and showed improved command of his area.

After criticism faced externally, that will be welcome. Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles is another in a similar position.

The loanee’s commitment has been called into question but the urgency and power with which he moved at Stamford Bridge give reason to be enthused.

That, also after he was equally impressive as a central defender last time out versus Wolves – in Jones’s final match as manager.

Romeo Lavia is a joy to watch on the football pitch. Just how long he will be with Saints remains to be seen – if that was a Chelsea audition, he passed.

We live in hope not. The young Belgian superstar has been spotted listening to social media fan forums and was seen chanting along to Saints songs at full-time on Saturday.

The way he carries himself makes the suggestion he is 19 laughable. He is wise beyond his years and, judging by the way he brushes off opposition contact and pressure, does not worry about what his counterparts may think of him.

James Ward-Prowse is a captain everyone believes in. He may not always be the most vocal; it does not matter. His football does the talking and his teammates follow.

To watch Ward-Prowse prepare for a free-kick (he has now scored 17 in the Premier League, one behind David Beckham’s record) is to tangibly feel inevitability.

The opposition supporters quieten to a murmur but can be continuously heard. Ward-Prowse’s supporters have already celebrated. Media prepare goal posts and relevant graphics. The goalkeeper shudders.

And for Ruben Selles, those three points can mean a number of things. Likely, and chiefly, they mean he will take over as the new Saints manager – for the rest of the season at least.

After a day in which he looked, played and sounded the part, conversations at the club will have only geared one way.

If it is to be a new beginning, it is the beginning of a gruelling campaign to survival in the toughest league in the world – from the bottom of the division, no less.

Next week’s match away at Leeds United will feel even bigger. The points available will feel like they are worth even more. With a relegation rival at the pitch’s other end, they are.

Supporters who had lost all hope, and with good reason, by the way, will think about tuning in again. They must see belief and unity from within the playing group and staff before they can feel it themselves.

Under Selles, they can see it again.