Sale boss Steve Diamond was happy to come out on top at the end of a "scrappy game" against Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop.
Fly-half Danny Cipriani kicked 11 points while Sharks captain Dan Braid grabbed a late try as the visitors secured their first league triumph at the venue since May 2008.
The result was even more impressive considering their struggles at the lineout, while they also had to defend for long periods of the Aviva Premiership contest as Quins pinned them back in their own territory.
"It's a good away win," said Diamond. "The competition has got so tight that you rarely win away from home.
"It was a scrappy game. The lineout didn't function very well."
Diamond felt his team, led superbly by Braid, coped better with the difficult conditions and played smarter rugby in the second half.
"It was a wet night when you don't want the ball and you let the opposition have it," he added. "And that's what happened and we managed to defend really well.
"We got an opportunity and took it. Dan Braid scored a really good try and we're delighted. I think we defended for 65 per cent of the game or more and showed some real balls."
Frustrated
Opposite number Conor O'Shea was frustrated that Quins could not turn their periods of possession into points, meaning all they had to show for their efforts were four Nick Evans penalties.
"It wasn't pretty, was it?" admitted O'Shea. "As a game it was always going to be given the conditions. It was a very frustrating night.
"We played the second half in the wrong parts of the pitch. Twice when we took the lead, we gave away soft turnovers and penalties off kick-offs by not clearing our lines. We're massively frustrated."
O'Shead did, however, praise Sale for their defensive display in the capital, though he was astounded that his team were not awarded a penalty in open play until the final minute of the game.
"The first penalty in open play, outside of the set-piece, in the whole match came to us in the 79th minute which is pretty spectacular," O'Shea stated. "But that's something you have to deal with on the night and you credit them for having massive discipline.
"Credit to Sale for their defence. It wasn't the most entertaining game we've ever seen. We held the ball for large periods of time. In the first half, we had over 60 per cent possession and 60 per cent territory but we didn't get the scoreboard ticking.
"They were incredibly well disciplined in the second half to not give us one penalty for anything outside of the set-piece."