Rusk left "gutted" by Fulham late show
Simon Rusk admitted he was “gutted” to come out on the wrong side of a stoppage-time goal as Southampton were beaten by Fulham at St Mary’s.
Last weekend it was Saints celebrating as Lesley Ugochukwu rescued a point with a last-gasp equaliser at West Ham.
This time the tables turned, as Jack Stephens’s early opener was cancelled out by Emile Smith Rowe’s deflected second-half strike, before Ryan Sessegnon headed home two minutes into added time to complete the turnaround.
“It’s really disappointing all round for everyone,” Rusk reflected. “I think to get in front we did really well, and we were really organised and solid in that first period.
“When we get in front maybe we subconsciously sink to protect our lead a little bit too early, but that’s a very common thing in football, particularly for a group of players that maybe haven’t won a lot of games this season. That’s where we’re at at the minute.
“I’m really gutted for everyone at the end that we’re left with that feeling, but I thought the effort and commitment to try and get something across the line was there again for everyone to see.
“They’re good professionals. We know we’ve got a task in front of us and we’ve still got another four weeks of the season left.
“Last week was a really nice feeling to get something out of the game, this week’s really painful, but these things are the things that drive you on at the end of the day.”
