Martin: Scoreline not a fair reflection
Russell Martin felt the 3-0 scoreline at Anfield did not do justice to Southampton’s performance in the defeat to Liverpool.
Saints’ Emirates FA Cup journey came to an end at the fifth-round stage, but not without a fight, as Martin’s side flew out of the blocks and created a host of chances before falling behind a minute before half time to Lewis’s Koumas’s opener.
There were opportunities to equalise too, most notably for Kamaldeen Sulemana and Shea Charles, before Liverpool substitute Jayden Danns struck twice to send the Reds through to the quarter-finals.
“I’m really proud of the players, really, really proud,” Martin said. “I thought we did some incredible stuff.
“I think we should score first, and then it’s completely different. I don’t think 3-0 is a fair reflection of the game at all.
“I think we had more chances than they did – or better chances than they did, for sure, and their goalie made a couple of really outstanding saves.
“I’m so grateful to the lads for what they produced tonight, at times. I hope the supporters that were here felt that as well – an amazing crowd, 5,500 people travelling on a Wednesday night really warms me up, and I hope they leave feeling proud of their team despite the scoreline, because that’s my overriding feeling.
“I said to the players that if we’re ever going to lose together, please do it being the team we want to be, and tonight we did that. I think we got way less than we deserved, but that’s football sometimes and that’s life sometimes.
“The quality of the finishing is the biggest difference tonight. We created a lot and we needed to make more of those moments, but that will come.”
Saints’ focus is now exclusively on winning promotion back to the Premier League, and the chance to showcase their expansive, attacking style at grounds like Anfield without the need for a cup draw.
“We are going to be the team we want to be wherever we go, and that is the challenge for us,” Martin added.
“I hope the supporters saw enough tonight to be really excited that if we do get there (to the Premier League), when we do get there, it will be exciting and it will be eventful, and I hope the players felt that as well.
“I hope that really excites them and motivates them to really achieve what we want to achieve, because I know there’s been a bit of flatness recently over the last couple of results, but we’re so in it (the promotion race), and it’s going to be such an exciting race to the end of the season.”
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