Sanderson, who signed a new deal in May after returning to the club to take the top job in 2021, led Sale to the Premiership final in 2022-23 where they were beaten by Saracens.
They also reached the semi-finals last season but were were beaten by Bath.
He said the win against Bristol gave them belief they can claim a place in the final four again.
“You’ve got to win these kinds of games on the road to know that in a semi-final, maybe on the road, you can do it again then,” Sanderson said.
“You’ve got to do it when it matters and it mattered this week, backing up from the Exeter game, going into the top four, dropping back out when Sarries won, and forcing your way back in at this point.
“At the mid-point you can generally look at the league and say these are the teams that are probably in the running.”
