This was Sale's third win from three, and while it can't have been the most beautiful, it must have been the most satisfying. Although it never boiled over on the field, but it never quite flowed either.

It was a miserable start for Saracens, 10-0 behind inside four minutes when they were badly exposed twice by Charlie Hodgson kicks. The first, an intelligent cross-field bomb after only 40 seconds, found Mark Cueto leaping almost unmarked on the right touchline for his first try. The wing had a second when Chris Rhys Jones climbed over the Saracens full-back Robbie Kydd to snatch Hodgson's punt and Cueto was the extra man over on the opposite flank.

Sale might have made more of that start, but two Hodgson penalties - he missed a third and both conversions - cancelled out a drop-goal from Mark Bartholomeusz and a penalty from Nicky Little, who had replaced the Australian.

The referee Tony Spreadbury worked busily to contain the expected niggle, sin-binning Kevin Yates, for an off-the-ball scuffle then temporarily dispatching Sale's Robert Todd as Yates returned.

Little cut Sale's lead to seven points with a penalty four minutes after half-time, and Saracens began the second half with as much vigour as Sale had the first. Unforced errors in good field position did not help them, however, and when Sale successfully held their visitors until after the hour mark, the Sharks always looked certain winners.

Then Yates conceded a needless penalty for crossing in a confused passage on his own line and silence descended for Hodgson to kick Sale towards safety. Little responded in kind, but Sale haven't lost here till January, and they equalled their best-ever start to a Premiership season when Hodgson landed a drop-goal.

Sale: Robinson (capt); Cueto, Rhys Jones, Todd, Hanley; Hodgson, Martens (Redpath 44); Sheridan, Bruno, Stewart, Schofield (Turner 60), White (Anglesea 70), Jones (Titterell 60), Lund, Chabal. Replacements: Day, Hercus, Moore.

Sin-bin: Todd 22.

Tries: Cueto 2 Pens: Hodgson 4 Drop-goal: Hodgson.

Saracens: Kydd; Haughton, Johnstone, Sorrell, Scarbrough; Bartholmomeusz (Little, 28), Braken; Yates, Cairns (Ibanez 73), Viagie (Lloyd 73), Raiwalui (Chesney 59), Fullarton, Randell, Hill (Seymour 65), Vyvyan (capt). Replacements: Raulini, Williams.

Sin-bin: Yates 12.

Pens: Little 4 Drop-goal: Bartholomeusz.

Referee: A Spreadbury (Somerset).

Attendance: 7,014.