Sale Sharks director of rugby Alex Sanderson said: "I thought we were good for the win but Northampton showed why they're a champion side. "They don't tire and they don't give up when you give them little sniffs like we did. "We put the pressure back on ourselves and they capitalised on that because they're very good on the front foot with a bit of quick ball. "Realistically, we've got to win five out of our last seven games with bonus points to finish in the top four. "That means you've got to win your home games and I thought our attacking intent tonight was brilliant. To score 27 points against a team of Northampton's calibre is good progress." Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson told BBC Radio Northampton: "We couldn't really get going. It was stop-start in the second half and we couldn't get any flow, really. "I thought Tom James [filling in at 10] was excellent and he was game for the challenge, and we tried to make the occasion special for him but we couldn't quite manage it. "There's no lack of emotional engagement in what we're trying to do but we just haven't been good enough throughout the season."