Saints reached safety with two games still to go in a game that squeezed the entire good and bad of the season into 90 minutes.
For periods of this game Saints played with a freedom and fluidity that bodes well for next season, indeed the first 20 minutes of this game was as good a attacking display as seen all season, however the problems at the back as well as the late goal issues continue to dog us, this was a game that we really should have won and won well.
In mitigation it has to be said that we had injury issues meaning a change in formation from a three to a back four and this would cost us dearly.
The team played well but there is no leader or more to the point organiser and this was never more illustrated than when Bournemouth equalised on 20 minutes, up to that point we were a goal up and pouring forward with wave after wave of attacking play, but then suddenly Bournemouth broke and we were exposed and the game was even.
A leader at the back would make sure that when attacking we still covered our rear, but this didn't happen and we were a shambles desperately trying to plug the gap and the tide of the game turned.
In fairness to Eddie Howe he made a tactical substitution on 23 minutes and you have to applaud him for that and it paid dividends, suddenly the Cherries having played their get out of jail card were a different team and they took the lead just after the half hour mark through Callum Wilson, the worry was it would get worse.
But Ralph Hasenhuttl is no slouch either he brought on Matt Targett at half time and Saints looked to be back in charge of the game and after James Ward Prowse equalised with a smart shot from outside the box a great run from Jan Valery saw a superb hanging cross met by Matt Targett who headed home.
Danny Ings contribution to this goal should not be underestimated, he won the ball back on the edge of Bournemouth's penalty area and played an easy ball that started the move that led to the goal, this type of play doesn't figure in statistics and is easily overlooked and forgotten, Ing's may not have scored but he made a significant contribution.
From then on Saints were in charge and surely would not give it away, up to the 86th minute that looked the case when Stuart Armstrong got the ball and well in Bournemouth's half tried to run cross field with it, there looked to be no danger at either end when he was robbed of the ball and suddenly Bournemouth had numbers pouring forward and our defence was at six's and seven's and the game was level again.
It could have got worse, Jack Stephens under no pressure tried a long cross field pass that went straight to Callum Wilson who sprinted through and it needed a great save from Angus Gunn one on one to make sure that Saints stayed level.
Only sour point was late in the game when Charlie Austin went into the corner with the ball and received some abuse from fans, on the first occasion there was no one in the box for him to cross to, there would have been more moans if he had hit the ball in to no one and the visitors had quickly counter attacked and scored.
On the second occasion it was clearly under instruction, having thrown away the game earlier and news of the score from Fulham filtering through it was a case of securing the point and being mathematically safe.
No one could complain this game was not entertaining, for Saints it highlighted both the good and bad, we were both exhilarating and abysmal in one game, but as I have often said Ralph Hasenhuttl took a gamble in January by not spending money on panic buying and that gamble has now paid off and we can now start the rebuilding as the Austrian confirmed in his post match interview.
It is now time to look to the future not to the past, of the two teams out there on Saturday, Bournemouth did what they have always done for the last few seasons, the question is can they do it again next season ?
For Saints the future looks brighter after all this result had been achieved by a team ravaged by a lack of quality at the back and on this day Injury meaning that we effectively had to play our fourth choice central defender and it showed, the same old issues were present in this game, but hopefully won't be next season.
In the last 12 games we have conceded goals in the last four minutes of the game in 7 of them costing us 8 points, just in this period the points dropped would see us 12th.
Thank God we don't have to endure the last two games we had to last year, we are safe now and come the final reckoning we probably crossed the line a fair few weeks ago.
This game showed we have the core of a good side, there is not a lot wrong with it that the signing of a good experienced leader at the back along with another striker could not change, Ralph has revived us, he can now rebuild us !