This wasn't a pretty game to watch, but at the final whistle it was the right result and one that took us back into the top 10.
Claude Puel rung the changes after the Europa League exit and was initially rewarded by a lacklustre first half display that saw the team booed off at half time.
It wasn't that Saints were bad, indeed one misplaced backpass aside that saw a scramble and a clearance off of his own goal line by Jose Fonte, Saints looked to be handling Boro well and were rarely in trouble, however that was also the case on Thursday evening and like that night we were rarely threatening ourselves in the opening 45 minutes.
In the second half the tea cups must have been thrown in the dressing room because Saints came out with a new found attitude and vigour and eight minutes into the second half Sofiane Boufal fired a wonder goal to open the scoring.
From a full 25 yards from nowhere he suddenly unleashed a shot that flew past the Boro keeper and didn't give him a chance to even try to stop it, this gave Saints the impetus and although they never added to their total, they looked well in command and saw out the game always threatening to add to the goal.
This was a game when the result mattered more than the way in which it was won for several reasons, firstly we needed a morale booster after the disappointment of midweek, but more importantly the team needed to show that collectively and as individuals they have the mental attitude to play through a tough time.
This they did and it was significant that the visitors did not have one shot on target in the second half, indeed they only had two during the entire match.
Special mentions should be given to Nathan Redmond and Jay Rodriguez, both have come under fire from their own fans this season, but both got their heads down and worked, Rodriguez played his first 90 minutes in the Premier League since his injury almost three years ago and was unlucky not to get his second goal of the season on several occasions not least when he saw a header cleared off the line.
He showed enough to suggest that with Charlie Austin out to the New Year and beyond he could be the man to lead the line, he doesn't seem to have lost much in terms of work rate and we know he can score goals. What he is lacking is game time and with Austin out he might now get a run in the side that could see him back to his best, like most strikers it is amazing what a goal or two can do for you.
Nathan Redmond came on at half time for Dusan Tadic, he immediately showed he was ready to work hard and prove his critics wrong and in the main he did this, it helped Redmond that he was able to play more wide in the attacking trio than before and with Rodriguez more mobile than Austin it also offered him more options when delivering the ball.
A mention too for Shane Long and Steve Davis, Puel used his substitutes well in this game, Davis came on at the right moment to help close out the game in the final 17 minutes and Long showed that he like Rodriguez will be a handful in the coming months with a run of games..
But for me man of the match was Jordy Clasie, he showed why our former manager rated him so highly and is now probably over JWP and Hojbjerg in the pecking order in the centre of midfield.
So a result which puts Saints back in the top ten and hopefully will give our supporters some perspective of where we are and what we have achieved this season, this time last year we had 21 points from 15 games, only one more than we have this, but last season we were out of both the Europa League and League Cup whilst this we have a semi final in the latter competition to look forward to.
That shows that Puel and his squad are no mugs and no need to kick on and look to move up the League, I used to say that if you are within one win of where you want to be then that is good, at present it is only goal difference that is keeping us off 8th place and we are one point from Watford in 7th, Manchester United are in 6th and whilst we are not within a win of them, we are only four points from then.
So I'm satisfied with our Premier league season so far, yes it has had its difficulties and yes we should have done better at times, but to sit where we are at present is acceptable, but having laid these foundations we do need to now kick on.