A brace of goals from Michail Antonio set Saints on their way to a 3-2 win over Carlisle at St. Mary's.

The winger put the hosts ahead a minute before half time with a sweet strike on the right side of the area, but Saints were pegged back just before the break by a whipped Ian Harte free-kick which found the top corner of Kelvin Davis' net.

Straight after the re-start, Antonio was involved again as he picked out Rickie Lambert at the far post for the striker to notch his 35th of the campaign from six yards out.

Five minutes later, a two goal lead emerged as Lambert returned the favour for the winger who struck home inside the box to make it 3-1.

A fourth Saints goal looked likely, but it was the visitors who weighed in with a late reply as Gary Madine, who scored United's solitary goal at Wembley rounded Davis, to force the ball in at the death.

Saints: Davis, Otsemobor, Fonte, Seaborne, Harding, Antonio (McNish 66), Hammond, Puncheon (Connolly 80), Lallana, Papa Waigo, Lambert (Barnard 80). Subs (not used): Bialkowski, Perry, Wotton, Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Carlisle: Collin, Horwood, Harte (Kane 70), Livesey (Raven 66), Keogh, Marshall, Thirlwell, Taiwo, Bridge-Wilkinson (Price 62), Madine, Dobie. Subs (not used): Pigeley, Kavanagh, Rothery, Bowman.

Referee: Mr. S. Hooper (Wiltshire)

Attendance: 18, 908 (including 411 away)

Wayne Thomas, Radhi, Jaidi, Lee Holmes and Graeme Murty remained sidelined through injury, whilst Morgan Schneiderlin served the second game of his four match suspension.

Saints got things underway on a warm and sunny day on the south coast attacking the Northam End, out to repeat the display against the Cumbrians from the showpiece Wembley occasion of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final last month.

A bright start from the hosts saw Michail Antonio and Papa Waigo carry the threat on either flank with the latter supplying the first clear chance of the match on eight minutes when the Senegalese picked out Lambert, who fired narrowly wide across with a shot across Adam Collin's goal.

On 15 Jason Puncheon led the charge forward and interchanged with a clever pass from Jon Otsemobor to get into the area, but the midfielder's shot was deflected on its way out for a corner.

Speculative efforts from Gary Madine and Marc Bridge-Wilkinson were all the visitors had to show in an otherwise patient opening from United who seemed willing to pass the ball around and use the full width of the St. Mary's surface, which was voted the best in League One earlier in the week.

Before the half hour mark, Lambert put narrowly wide from Antonio's cross, and from the same position a few minutes later, Papa Waigo's acrobatic effort from Puncheon's well worked delivery, flew just over the top of Collin's goal.

At the other end, full back Richard Keogh pulled a shot wide and Kelvin Davis was alert to collect the ball at Scott Dobie's feet from a cross on the left hand side.

Inside the last five minutes of the half Saints turned up the pressure and went close when Papa Waigo pulled the ball back for Lallana, whose low strike was pushed away by the Carlisle stopper low to his right.

The breakthrough goal arrived however, in the last minute of the half when Waigo's cross from the left missed Puncheon, but fell to Antonio, who sent it back across goal for a sweet strike into the far corner to make it 1-0.

In stoppage time though, the visitors quickly levelled through a well taken curling free-kick from Ian Harte who struck a dipping effort home from the edge of the area after Seaborne had been adjudged to have fouled Dobie.

Half Time: Saints 1-1 Carlisle

Within a minute of the re-start the hosts got back in front as top scorer Rickie Lambert finished from close range after Antonio had created the chance for him by wining the ball on the left and delivering a pinpoint cross to the far post where the number seven was waiting to strike home from an acute angle.

The free flowing movement in attack from the hosts continued, and on 51 Antonio was celebrating his second of the game with a drilled low shot under the 'keeper after he and Lambert had linked up on the edge of the box.

Madine's wayward strike from Bridge-Wilkinson's lengthy run was the closest the visitors came to an instant reply, before the latter was replaced by attacking midfielder Jason Price just past the hour mark.

Antonio was denied the opportunity of a hat-trick, as he made way for seventeen year-old Academy scholar Callum McNish who made his first team bow in his favoured central midfield position, with Puncheon moving out to the right. United replaced Danny Livesy with David Raven at the same time

On 69 it was nearly four for Saints as Lallana poked the ball across to Waigo who couldn't quite force his effort on target at the far post.

A minute later, United made their final change with Tony Kane coming on for Ian Harte.

And with their dead ball specialist off the field, the visitors were awarded an in-direct free-kick inside the area after José Fonte's lofted back pass was collected by Davis who was booked for picking the ball up as Price rushed in.

The resulting set piece was cut back for Kane to smash into a wall of red and white bodies, as the ball was hooked clear to safety.

With ten minutes to play Saints freshened up their forward line as David Connolly and Lee Barnard replaced Puncheon and Lambert respectively, to push for a goal to match the scoreline from Wembley.

But there was to be a fifth goal of the game, which arrived with the last kick of the game as Madine rounded Davis to slot home from close range despite Fonte's best efforts to clear.

Other results didn't go Saints' way for the late play-off push, but three welcome points took the team up to a season high position of seventh with two matches still to play.

Full Time: Saints 3-2 Carlisle