From the home supporters on the terraces, the chant came loud and proud. 'We are staying up,' they cheerily sang and after this latest victory, the job is very nearly done.
Manager Ralph Hasenhuttl will state all the usual platitudes about mathematical permutations and counting chickens but his response on full-time gave the game away.
His fist pumped the air three times and he jogged onto the pitch to embrace all his players individually.
Shane Long makes a yard for himself after a well-taken pass inside the box and strikes the ball into the bottom left corner
The Southampton striker celebrates adding a third for his side and taking a step closer to safety after defeating Wolves
Long (right) celebrated with the home supporters at St Mary's as he put some daylight between the two sides on Saturday
Southampton (3-4-2-1): Gunn 6; Bednarek 6, Yoshida 7, Vestergaard 6; Valery 6.5 (Stephens 84), Hojbjerg 6, Ward-Prowse 6.5, Bertrand 7; Sims 8 (Romeu 61, 7), Redmond 8; Ings 7.5 (Long 61, 7)
Subs not used: McCarthy, Stephens, Targett, Armstrong, Austin
Manager: Ralph Hasenhuttl
Booked: Bertrand
Goal: Redmond (2, 30), Long 71
Wolves (3-4-2-1): Patricio 6.5; Saiss 5, Coady 5, Boly 6; Doherty 5.5 (Traore 60), Dendoncker 5, Moutinho 5.5, Neves 6 (Gibbs-White 69 6), Jonny 6; Jota 5 (Costa 87), Jimenez 6
Subs not used: Ruddy, Bennett, Vinagre, Cavaleiro
Manager: Nuno Espirito Santo 5.5
Booked: Moutinho, Jimenez, Saiss
Goal: Boly 28
Referee: Jonathan Moss 6
Nathan Redmond collected a pass and from inside the box he lifted the ball over goalkeeper Rui Patricio. CLICK HERE to see more from Sportsmail's MATCH ZONE.
For Southampton, this was a crucial result and quite possibly their most complete performance of the campaign. This victory elevated Southampton to 36 points, eight clear of the drop zone, and Hasenhuttl can surely now plan for a first full season in the Premier League.
Southampton's final five fixtures do not pit Hasenhuttl's team against any of the Premier League's top six sides and this upwardly mobile side are now within one victory of 13th place in the table.
It has been a remarkable effort by Hasenhuttl. The Austrian has restored purpose and spirit to a club that appeared to have all sense of direction before his arrival. He has reconnected his players with supporters.
Form in this stadium was a source of dread for Mauricio Pellegrino and Mark Hughes but Hasenhuttl has revived the fanbase and the dressing room. His players stayed behind for over five minutes after full-time, holding hands and sprinting towards supporters behind the goal to celebrate. Hasenhuttl took his own personal bow to much acclaim.
His tactical acumen is sharp, too, setting Southampton up perfectly to expose Wolves’ three-man backline, as the outstanding pair of Jose Sims and Nathan Redmond pressed the visitors into first-half errors and made darting sprints in behind. When Sims ran out of gas in the second period, Hasenhuttl intervened once more, introducing Oriol Romeu to stem the flow and reassert control of midfield.
Nathan Redmond (Southampton) collects a pass and from inside the box he lifted the ball over goalkeeper Rui Patricio
The Southampton winger celebrates putting Saints 2-1 up in front of the home crowd at St Mary's on Saturday afternoon
Redmond (left) celebrates his second of the game and putting his side back in front with his Southampton team-mates
On paper, this had the potential to be a dicey fixture for Southampton. Wolves endured heartache at Wembley last weekend, surrendering a two-goal advantage to lose an FA Cup semi-final against Watford. The atmosphere at Wolves' training complex this week is said to have resembled a morgue and manager Nuno Espirito Santo will have expected a backlash from his
